Eyes Wide Open
by Slipper
Summary: Yuffie's life is a mess post-Meteor, but things only get more complicated when Cloud Strife and an unusual Materia inadvertently become involved. Yuffie POV. Eventual Y/C.
1. Eyes Wide Open

**A/N: **_This is intended as a Cloud/Yuffie story, so if that pairing isn't your cup of tea this story will not be for you. For those who read on I hope you'll enjoy my modest attempt at a long, fairly light-hearted Yuffie POV story. Reviews/encouragement/constructive criticism are also much appreciated. :)_

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**Eyes Wide Open**

By Slipper

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All stories start with a beginning and mine is no different, but let's get the facts straight first, eh?

My name is Yuffie Kisaragi.

I'm 17 and a half years old, of ancient Wutaian decent and I've been called many things in my short life: thief, brat, ninja _and_ a member of AVALANCHE (ya know, those guys who made that silver haired dude go bye bye?) to name a few. You should know me 'cus I'm practically a celebrity! …Well, _was_. 'Cus I made my mind up some time ago to 'disappear'. And once I make up my mind to do somethin' there ain't no stopping me!

You must be pretty confused huh? Well chill ok. 'Cus I'm gonna explain all in good time, so's you know what made me decide fall off the face of the planet…

Let's start with what happened after me and my AVALANCHE buds saved the planet. It's been over a year and a half now since Sephiroth and Meteor had been given a royal ass kicking…courtesy of moi I might add. Sheesh alright, those other guys helped a bit too, but the _majority_ of the ass kickin' was totally mine. Yeah, heh, I totally whooped that one winged bozo's butt and at the same time saved the entire planet from complete annihilation! I am so awesome.

Problem was no one seemed to appreciate my part in those events at all and naturally that cheesed me off somethin' fierce. Why was it always _Cloud _their eyes strayed to with admiration and awe? Why was it _his_ hand they practically tripped over themselves to shake first? Sure he'd travelled in his (frankly messed up) consciousness and struck Sephiroth the final deathblow…but HEY, I was there during those battles too! I mean, what am I? Chopped liver? Pfft.

It was irritating as all get out. But, like everything else that ever happens to me, I got over it pretty quick. After all, there are bigger, more important things in life…

Like, oh say, MATERIA!

If you don't know who I am then you probably don't know that I fricken' love Materia. And no I am not some crazy. Everyone's got a little somethin' that gives 'em the warm fuzzies. Take Cid and that hunka-junk Highwind he's always cooing over. And Holy help you if ever touch his favourite Lucky Seven brand smokes. Barret's the same way with his gun-arm, mooning over it like it's his child rather than just a prosthetic weapon/limb (seriously, he polishes that thing all the darn time and whispers sweet nothings to it at night when he thinks everyone's asleep). And then there's Tifa (oh poor besotted Tifa) who's so obviously head over heels in love with Cloud that he must either be thick as a plank not to notice…or just plain uninterested. _'As a friend!'_ Tifa'd always protest whenever someone ribbed her about it but this keen Kisaragi brain knew better. I saw through that WEAPON-sized lie right from the start. _Perception _is my middle name, don'tcha know. That and_ amazing_, _hot _and _multi-talented,_ amongst others…

Anyway, I was talking about Materia wasn't I? Well, the reason I mention it is because that's what got me into this big mess in the first place you see. But I'll get to that detail later 'cus there are a few things I need to cover first, OK?

It was tough those first few months after saving the planet (by the way, do you have no idea just how cool it is to actually be able to say that? And I say it often, I admit. It's one of the few perks about the whole outcome I actually get to enjoy!).

We did spend quality time together celebrating, but nowhere near enough in this ninja girl's opinion. Mostly we spent our days getting our asses run ragged by Reeve and our nights recovering from the days. He had us doing all sorts: clean-up duty, helping people rebuild their homes, salvaging what we could from the ruin of Midgar, and monster patrols to keep the nasties away from civilians till they were back on their feet again. It wasn't exactly party central.

The work was tough and as much as it had its rewards, it could also be as depressing as biting into a giant doughnut and finding zero jam inside… I mean I'm a ninja, not a manual labourer, so it didn't come easy to me.

There were barely any survivors and all their homes had been completely crushed. I felt sorry for them but at the same time, being the fiercely independent gal I am, there was a part of me that demanded to know just what they'd expected supporting ShinRa and living under mindless control in the first place, huh? Not that I voiced any of those thoughts out loud. I doubted anyone else would agree with me, particularly not Tifa or Barret; Midgar had been their home for a time after all.

No one knew for sure what had happened to President Rufus but I was pretty certain that dude was dead. You'd have to be superhuman, or at least a cockroach, to survive Diamond Weapon blowing up your HQ with you still inside and then Meteor practically sitting right on your face.

I guess the Turks probably missed him (or, more likely, their pay checks), although whatever happened to those goofs no one knows for sure and frankly they could all go wander into a Midgar Zolom's nest for all I cared… Well, maybe not Reno since he was kinda cute, heh. ...DON'T TELL ANYONE I SAID THAT!

…Moving on.

Eventually we separated and attempted to pull the pieces of our lives back together. Before I left, I tried to get everyone to 'donate' their Materia for the 'good of Wutai' but they wouldn't buy it. _Dammit,_ _I knew I should have been a lot more forceful about that contract…_

Barret (the bastard!) actually held my arms whilst Cid (when I get my hands on him, grr...) frisked me to make sure I hadn't stolen any more. Then, my team mates all shook my hand (save Nanaki, heh) one by one, said their goodbyes and made the token offer of meeting up again sometime in the future. All the while I knew I'd probably never see 'em again. It's hard forming long lasting friendships when you're a Materia centric, Kleptomaniac Ninja brat - we're a misunderstood minority.

At least Cid had the guts to be frank with me. There were no fake smiles (I'm not sure that guy knows how to do anything but chain smoke and swear anyways) or empty promises of a reunion. Just a campy leer, a hard slap to my butt (Which I paid him back for later by barfing in his stupid airship, ha!) and then he told me in no uncertain terms to 'get lost and stay lost'. He's such a sweetheart, Cid.

Cid wanted me to 'get lost', eh? Well, for once I actually took the hint and did as told.

Well, kinda.

I mean for a while (one long boring month to be exact) I lived in my little house in Wutai, re-forging relations with my gazillion cats, which seemed to have multiplied alarmingly during my absence, and suffering the endless, tedious lectures from my pain-in-the-butt father. He wanted me to knuckle down and prepare to succeed him (and hopefully learn some manners along the way - ha! dream on dad!). I guess what with the planet nearly getting destroyed he realised there was more to life than getting sozzled on sake on a daily basis. Good news for Wutai, but a massive bummer for me! No way was I ready for rule. I wanted to enjoy my life some more before it was officially signed away, along with my freedom.

Every day he arrived uninvited at my house like clockwork at exactly mid-morning, looking a total eyesore dressed in his ceremonial robes (which I suspect he'd aired out of his closet upon my arrival specifically for the purpose of brainwashing me into accepting my heritage) and clutching no less than 5 dusty, mouldy and worryingly thick old volumes on the history of Wutai and the Kisaragi reign.

Like dad's stinky old robes and a handful of equally gross books were gonna convince me to rule a washed out resort town...did he think I was crazy? The sad truth is I don't know what the hell goes through that head of his. Dad and I are like strangers, it'd been that way since mama died. We'd never really tried to understand one another - we were too alike in all the wrong ways.

It reached the point where I couldn't stand it anymore, around the same time that I was to be prepared to receive leadership from my father. Without my consent I might add…uh yeah, just a coincidence…heh heh...okay, maybe not. Seriously though, 16 was too young to be ruling a country, even if it was some crappy, washed out tourist resort. It all boiled down to this: responsibility, obligation and obedience; three things I felt I definitely was not ready for.

And another issue I was loathe to address was the knowledge that marriage usually followed soon after such elevations to power and that was one thing I couldn't even bring myself to contemplate. Knowing my father I would be as good as shackled to a boring son of clansman friend of his who knew nothing other than how to hunt, tell long-winded egotistical stories and nurture a sizeable paunch.

What can I say, I'm picky.

So I snuck out the night before the inauguration ceremony, maiming several guards and high priests in the process. I've been on the run ever since, which makes it precisely a year and three months exactly, next Tuesday. It hasn't exactly been paradise but I figure that was just the price I had to pay for my freedom.

For instance, I spent my 17th birthday two months after my escape alone in a small forest south of Gongaga, singing the traditional Wutaian birthday song quietly to myself so as not to disturb any monsters prowling nearby. Then, since no one was around to stop me, I treated myself to a crate of gut wrenchingly potent 'Molotov' whisky (guaranteed to _melt_ your brain, the label promised) that I'd nabbed from Gongaga town earlier that day.

Slightly worryingly, I can't entirely recall the events of that night. Perhaps, in retrospect, the whisky really _had_ done as promised and melted my brain. Some dodgy alcohol related activities must've occurred however, for I woke the following afternoon to find myself buck naked save for my leather gloves and lying in the abandoned remains of a giant nest. It took me three full days to shake off the lingering disorientation from that single night. I won't even go into details about the hang-over…suffice to say it was like Meteor and Holy waging war in my skull.

So not the best post-birthday I'd ever had, but definitely the most interesting one. Anyway, I was still proud to be a year older and completely independent.

For a while I wandered aimlessly, no real direction in mind, although I avoided any places that might result with encounters with any of my former comrades. I felt it'd be better in every respect if I abstained from contact, I wasn't entirely sure that any of them even really liked having me around (they had liked to insult, scold and berate me just a little too much for my taste…ok admittedly I may have deserved it, but _still_…). I was also worried they'd somehow learn about my running away and tell my enraged father where I was; something I had to avoid at all costs if I intended to remain free. And _single._

So I kept to remote areas, always on the move and rarely stopping for long. Even then it was usually just to replenish supplies and sell off any extra Materia I'd collected during my travels. This seemed to work out pretty well despite a few close calls I had with my father's underlings who had been sent to retrieve me (and that's a whole other story). Even so they had yet to catch me…I'm not a Kisaragi descendent for nothing ya know.

It was a kinda lonely existence, but then I'm used to travelling that way so it was nothing new to me. I guess, despite my outgoing personality, I've always been something of a loner underneath it all.

Sure, I could natter on for hours (this tended to irritate most people) and make myself at home with complete strangers when necessary…but ultimately there was only one person I truly trusted in life and that was ME. If I did make friends they were always only casual ones. I left before I got too close; it wasn't a helpful when you were trying to run away from your responsibilities and your own identity. Yeah, I had to leave 'Yuffie Kisaragi' behind. It was the only way I could make my nomadic lifestyle work.

Which meant a_ disguise _was needed.

Being a member of the famous AVALANCHE came with a whole baggage of its own because due to our early television appearances and public speeches my face was fairly well known. Early on in my travels I'd realised it was necessary to hide that I was Yuffie Kisaragi, the Single White Rose of Wutai, part time Materia Hunter and Saviour of the Planet. And incognito wasnot my natural style so it irritated me no end.

In the past, pre-AVALANCHE days I'd loved being able to strut into a town and throw around my title if it held any sway. If people hadn't believed me, which they never did, I just tugged up my shirt on my back and showed them the Leviathan tattoo snaking up my spine (a mark all kisaragi's shared) and they immediately bent over backwards (well, not literally) to accommodate me.

Well, that was no longer an option.

Now I had to apply a whitish paste to my skin to make myself look paler and wear a cumbersome green headscarf that obscured half my face from view. I felt like Vincent, was half afraid I'd start spouting melancholy prose and blanch whenever the name Lucrecia was mentioned. It took a while to get used to, especially in tropical heat, but it was a necessary evil.

No one recognised me like that and for a long time I lived that way, moving as easily and unobtrusively as a shadow from place to place. Although I was heartened by the fact that I hadn't bumped into any of my father's underlings since our last run-in six months previously, it also worried the hell outta me. I knew first hand that Wutai's elite guard did not give up easily; they were trained to accomplish any task set, or die trying… It made me _very_ nervous…

…

Present time now…ish.

I took a risk a few weeks back and wandered into Costa Del Sol, a place I'd secretly considered visiting again as a place to lay low after AVALANCHE had split. I figured that it'd be the last place my dad's goon squad would come looking for me since I'd spent enough years before I'd first left Wutai bitching loudly and persistently about my dad's decision to turn it into a tourist attraction. And Costa Del Sol, with its lazy heat and crystal blue ocean hugging pure white beaches, was definitely a tourist hotspot.

I hate resort towns on principle so it was basically torture for me setting foot there, but…it was a quiet, easy going place and full of people who really didn't give a crap who you were or where you came from so long as you chilled like the rest of them and enjoyed life to the max.

Which, after a year and a bit of wearisome, tedious travel I fully intended to do.

A few days ago I quit wearing the headscarf and refrained from applying the sickly white paste to my face. I was shocked when I saw how faded my tan was after wearing the paste so long. Looking in the mirror was like looking at the ghost of Yuffie Kisaragi; it gave me the creeps. I promised myself right then that I'd rectify the situation as soon as possible, disguise be damned.

I was nervous the first time I went out down to the beach sans disguise, but in the end I realised that caution was unnecessary. No one batted an eye lid at me. They gave me the same slow, lazy smiles they'd given me before with perhaps a mite more interest in their eyes and life went on.

I just spent the last few weeks either in the cool atmosphere of the Tiki bar, downing fruit cocktails like there was no tomorrow (or before the scantily clad girl behind the bar realised I was underage and carded me), which was kinda ironic considering that when there really had been the possibility of a 'no tomorrow' alcohol had been the last thing on my mind. And hey, if I wanna drink I'll drink dammit. I'd grown up downing sake at festivals and such back home so I had plenty of practice already. Plus I had some _actual_ woes to drown, which is more than some people can claim. Apart from distracting myself from my troubles by boozing up I also spent a large chunk of my time down the beach surfing, sunbathing and working on my tan.

It was pleasant to sit under my beach umbrella in no more than a bikini of the most outrageous colour I could find and watch the white surf roll in and out without a care in the world. To exchange appreciative glances with the surfer guys from behind my sunglasses as they zoomed past on their brightly coloured boards, and then, at twilight, to sit on a sun warmed rock listening to the gentle susurrus of the waves and admire a clear star lit sky that was pleasantly devoid of global calamities.

Bliss, amirite? It's just a shame all good things have to come to an end...

It was yesterday that I decided to confront the mirror again in my little rented room at the inn and was filled with relief when I saw not a ghost but Yuffie Kisaragi in the flesh once more, grinning back at me with the fire of life in her eyes. I felt absolutely fantastic, so good in fact that I was almost, _almost_, able to forget for a moment that I had some major, ninja shaped problems.

I was pleasantly surprised to see my boobs were a mite bigger too. Sure, they'd never be in the same arena as Tifa's but what the heck, it was _something_. I decided to celebrate the utter marvelous-ness that was currently my life by jumping up and down on the bed until the frame broke with a thunderous crash and the landlord came barrelling into my room to bitch at me till he was blue in the face (_so_ worth it anyways).

Blah anyway, all beside the point…

I've been building up to something pretty important now, you know, that little something that I mentioned earlier that happened to ruin all of this? That little something that began with Materia, a _certain kind_ of Materia.

Yeah well, it happened today and it changed my life forever...

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I could have spotted that familiar sparkle a mile off. Instantly recognisable, like the scent of cherry blossoms floating in the balmy breeze in spring near the old Pagoda, or the magnificent, awe inspiring features of Da Chau, looming like vast stone sentinels over sleepy Wutai and forever etched into my memories of home. The gleam was unmistakable, it drew me like a moth to a flame - helplessly I went to it.

Materia_…oh yeah baby._

I was way excited. It had been months since I've seen any new Materia and my own supply had dwindled considerably due to the fact that I'd been working my way through it in order to finance my little vacation here. It had been tough the first time I'd traded one of those perfect, iridescent orbs in for Gil, but in the process of selling several more over the last few weeks I'd eventually become acclimatized to my slowly shrinking supply. So long as I got my room and board at the local inn, a cocktail at the Tiki Bar and change for a sun mat I was as happy as a Chocobo rolling around in a mountain of Ghysal greens. I mean what was the point of even hording the stuff anymore? It wasn't like I could take it back to Wutai and regain the honour of my hometown like I'd always planned. I was an outcast by choice and I had to accept and adapt to that hard truth as quickly as possible if I was going to make it through life on my own steam.

Besides, I could always steal it back later. _Nyuk nyuk nyuk..._

Okay so it's Materia and I still love Materia, but the sad truth was that after the Meteor incident Materia had lost its true value. I don't know if it was due to the planet recovering from the damage, or JENOVA poisoning the lifestream, but Materia no longer burnt so bright anymore. If you did happen to find any it was usually just junky stuff.

As a result, people rarely used Materia for spell casting or trade anymore since it'd become less powerful and reliable. Instead, they'd taken to lining their mantle-pieces with the stuff as though it were some kind of novelty ornament. It seriously cheesed me off. So if I couldn't use Materia anymore I figured I might as well make whatever profit I could from it.

Of course I had my rares, my mastered and my favourites that I would never part with. I kept those in my armour and Conformer slots so there was no confusion. Still, I noticed even their power had begun to wane too. There was only a very small amount of Materia in the world now that was true and pure in form and I hazarded a guess that Cloud probably owned half of it. That guy probably had half the planet's energy crammed into his skull anyway, so what difference would a crapload of Materia lining his pockets make?

But anyway, back to the object of my desire...

I walked toward the Materia stand in a trance, as though drawn by a magnetic force. My mouth was almost watering with desire as I closed the distance between myself and it, shouldering random tourists carelessly out of my path in my determination to reach my target. I could see a few annoyed faces out of my periphery but I ignored them, entirely focused on that distant gleam. I itched to know what kind of Materia it was (Summon? Restorative? Support?) and what exactly it was capable of (Healing? Status Effects? Blowing things into teensy weensy bits?).

When I reached the stand I hovered above the beautifully twinkling orb like some bizarre bird of prey, mesmerized. It was a clear icy blue with an inner swirl that was vibrant cerulean. I'd never seen a Materia that colour before and I thought that it had to mean that it was extremely rare. How it ended up here was beyond my understanding but I didn't puzzle on it for long, my mind ticking away furiously. I made up my mind then and there that I wanted it. And when Yuffie Kisaragi wants something she damn well gets it. That Materia was gonna be _mine_. And NOTHING was going to stop me.

When a large shadow fell across me and a good portion of the table, I grudgingly dragged my gaze up, meeting the beady black eyes of the overweight shop keeper. He raised a brow at me expectantly. I pointed at the Materia woodenly, trying to voice some sort of question about the wonderful orb but no coherent words would form. My mouth opened and closed like a goldfish. I was vaguely aware that I looked like a complete idiot.

"Geh…pre…pretty…"

The shopkeeper blinked, his greedy gaze narrowing slightly. Clearly my desire must have been as plain as day on my face because the man's tiny eyes flashed knowingly, a quick pink tongue darting out a moment later to wet his lips in anticipation of an easy sale.

"Hooo yes, it's very pretty isn't it young lady? It'd make a fabulous ornament feature on your mantelpiece–" I resisted, with great effort, the urge to punch him right on his big, fat nose. "-That there's _Chakra _Materia Miss, VERY rare. 'Cause ya know what it does? It will harness the inner emotions of others and manipulate them…or somethin'."

_Argh vague…but soooo cool!_

"So…you at all interested in purchasing this fine piece, miss?"

I spared a precious moment from my adoration of the Materia to fling him a deeply incredulous look. _AHEM. Do Chocobos poop on the plains? _ Of _course_ I was damn well interested!

BUT, I had absolutely no intention of actually _buying_ it. After all, what was the point of spending years honing Materia thieving skills if you weren't going to use them, eh? Nyuk, nyuk nyuk…

I didn't answer him, but instead decided to try an old but effective tactic that had worked many times for me in the past when I needed to steal and quickly. With a dramatic, fearful gasp, I widened my eyes and pointed urgently to some squat shrubbery lurking just behind the shop keeper.

"Arghh! Sephiroth! It's Sephiroth!" I shrieked in my best flailing-panic voice.

The shop keeper blanched and turned wildly, flabby arms flapping with panic. "Arrhhh! Where! Where!"

_Nyuk nyuk nyuk…what a sucker!_

With a smirk I reached with lightning quickness across the table to nab the Materia and-

"…_Yuffie?_ Is that you?"

- jumped about ten feet into the air in surprise, before falling flat on my ass on the dusty pavement, sans the Materia.

"Ow! Ow! Owww! Leviathan in a fricken' bucket that HURT!"

The opportunity was then lost forever. The shop keep, releasing he'd been had, turned back immediately and eyed me with beady, ill-disguised distaste over his wares.

"Damn punks, playing stupid pranks!" He groused as he pocketed the wondrous orb of Materia and heaved his large bulk away, putting painful distance between me and the one thing I most desired.

_NOOOOOOOOOOO!_

Wretched despair turned to fierce rage instantaneously. I was soooooo gonna kick the ass of whoever had broken my concentration.

With a scowl imbued with the fury of the truly thwarted I looked up from where I was sprawled, shading the sun out of my eyes with one hand as I squinted and attempted to make out the figure standing a few feet away. The fierce noon-day sun was right behind whoever it was, turning them into a dark silhouette, face overshadowed. That meant nothing though as I recognized the silhouette of spiky hair instantly.

"CLOUD?"

"Sheesh…no need to shout Yuff." Cloud grumbled, rubbing one ear with a grimace.

He shifted slightly and suddenly was in full glorious view; same striking features, same spiked blonde hair, same eyes that strange, arresting blue. I noted distractedly, and with some approval, that he was dressed slightly differently than I remembered. The clothes were a darker blue, newer looking but mostly similar in style to his old ones. His eyes didn't seem quite as haunted as I remembered either and the half smile he wore was open and easy and nowhere near as uncertain as I recalled.

Life after Meteor obviously agreed with Cloud, I thought.

As I noted all these changes in a kind of daze some overwhelming mental and physical shift was occurring in both my body and mind. I very nearly keeled over again as all the repressed emotions from my AVALANCHE days came crashing back with all the grace and subtlety of a neon coloured high-speed locomotive. As a result I turned absolutely beet red, heat emanating off my face as I gaped moronically up at Cloud with helpless, frustrated adoration.

Oh…yeah. I forgot to mention before that I'm completely and helplessly in love with Cloud Strife, didn't I?

Oops.

Oookay, perhaps I'd better try and explain this mess…

Okay, so the first time cloud and I met it was hardly what you'd call _fireworks_. Not the romantic kind anyway.

I was not at all impressed by him at the beginning. Attempting a brilliant spot of Materia theft on a threesome of clueless morons wandering in the wilderness, but then getting your ass promptly handed to you on a plate instead tends to do that to a person. Still smarting from the beating and the put downs I had pretty much decided that this Cloud person was clearly a complete ass, with no personality and hair that was an insult to gravity. As for Cloud…well, he most likely thought the same of me as everyone else did: that I was a bratty, egotistical kid with an unhealthy and slightly worrying obsession with Materia.

So, _not_ a great start.

But as time passed and Cloud began to relax more around everyone and came bit by bit out of his introspective bubble, I began to notice things about him that normally I wouldn't have given a moment's thought on. I'd never given anyone any deeper consideration like that before. Usually with me people fell into three categories; jerkasses, suckers and poop heads. Cloud's existence forced me to create a whole new category entirely for him = gorgeous, unfathomable weirdo.

Considering myself to be the most awesome and interesting person on the planet I'd always deemed it pointless to learn more about other people. But for some reason Cloud was different. No matter how I tried to dismiss the man, and convince myself that he was a jerkass, sucker and poop head all rolled into one, the fact was he intrigued me. I'd never experienced that about another person before. The sad thing was, I also had no idea how to handle or hide my sudden interest in him.

It showed itself in various ways. For instance, my pulse would escalate and blood would rush to my face every time he so much as entered a room or glanced my way. And I'd always perk up immediately whenever his name came up in a conversation, even if I'd totally not been paying any attention up till then. Fortunately for me, Cloud was about as oblivious about stuff like that as a person could be.

Until that point the only important factors in my life had been Materia and the acquisition of it. Boys had never crossed my mind as I'd grown up, much to my father's constant chagrin (he'd never really gotten over my declaration that arranged marriages were 'grossness' and that I'd rather pledge myself in holy matrimony to one of my many cats than any of the men he had in mind). In all my 16 and a half years I'd never felt enough attraction toward anyone to want to actually do something about it. Thus the experience was long, long overdue. Perhaps that's the reason that when it did strike it hit me all of a sudden and with the force of a Leviathan induced tidal wave.

It didn't help matters that the subject of my crush was absolutely drop dead gorgeous in a diffident, somewhat damaged, MAKO enhanced way. Now if it had been Cid (ack I know, but just bear with me a sec!) in time I might have reconciled myself with the fact that I'd gone stark raving bonkers. But no, no such luck in reality.

Even Cloud's unpredictable moodiness, which was initially annoying and something I would normally have classified with my usual lack of finesse as _'booooor-ring!'_, somehow became some tolerable, even _cute_, little idiosyncrasy. But what I really didn't get was the fact that he seemed to have no comprehension of how swoon-worthy he was! Somehow that just nailed the lid of my love coffin shut on me. I was doomed. So, I took to Cloud-watching, of the blonde and MAKO eyed variety.

I would zone out when he was talking sometimes, watching the way he ran a hand unconsciously through his hopelessly unruly hair or scratched at the back of his head when he was feeling self conscious or uncertain. I catalogued the flicker of emotions in his eyes, sometimes clear and vibrant with determination and oft times clouded with troubled thoughts and secrets that skittered just below the surface.

Yeah, I guess I got pretty good at reading his moods through watching him so much. Of course this also meant that half the time I hadn't a clue what was going on because I never listened to his mission briefings and I was too damned proud to ask anyone else. But I tagged along anyway and somehow it all worked out.

Slowly, over time, we came to a truce and then, later, a tentative friendship. I found it pathetically flattering when he started to seek me out to talk or spend a little time with me. Sometimes Cloud even let me tag along with Aeris or one of the others when he went off to find out some important information about Sephiroth, the Cetra, or the planet. I loved times like that. You have no idea how much it sucked having to travel about with a cat riding a stuffed moogle toy and a sentient, unbearably patronizing lion-thing (who was mentally the same age as me no less) all the time.

But I never quite understood why Cloud bothered with me when no one else had taken much of an interest, except to give me the inevitable suspicious glare now and then, adding that they'd '-counted exactly how much Materia I have so don't even _think_ about trying anything Yuffie!.' But not Cloud, who was about as predictable as the Lifestream and at least ten times more enigmatic.

It was…nice.

Of course Cloud and I still had our disagreements now and then, but I didn't mind so much. Most times those arguments worked well as a distraction, as a way to keep our minds off the inevitable and often baffling confrontations with Sephiroth. Somehow nothing quite screws with your mind so much as a tall silver haired guy in black leather preaching about the end of the world and then lobbing Materia at you without warning. I mean, Gawd, who _throws away_ Materia? The guy truly was apenuts.

And then there were those moments that really meant something to me, that I secretly treasure: the time Cloud held me close after Aerith's death, one gloved hand carding distractedly yet soothingly through my hair as I grieved. And when he found me post-barf in the hanger after a particularly wild bout of flying from Cid and pressed tranquillizers into my hand with a small, knowing smile. And then just talking with me and listening to my inane chatter until I barely registered the nausea anymore. No one else had ever given a crap about me like that. Not even my dad who was family and supposedly pre-programmed to love me as dads are universally meant to. I received the odd, pitying look from my team-mates, but no one ever attempted to comfort me the way Cloud did.

And then there was the whole commotion over the Materia. Namely my stealing it.

Truthfully, I hadn't wanted to betray him or any of them like that but it was for Wutai and my desperation to help my country had far exceeded the guilt I felt over stealing my friends' Materia. The thing was, even though I could see at the time that Cloud was clearly angry and disappointed, he forgave me without hesitation when my idiot father asked him to and accepted me back into the group despite everyone's protests.

So yeah, I love him. But I will NEVER EVER tell him that.

EVER.

Period.

And _why_ you might ask?

Well, here's the thing…although confident in pretty much every other aspect of life, romance and men are two things I definitely lack experience with. I'm a fish out of water, as the saying goes. The one and only time a boy had ever kissed me had been back when I was nine and I had promptly punched him in the gut and then pushed him into the local river for his trouble. He'd never quite looked or walked the same after that. After that incident news spread and the boys in my village had left me alone, which suited me fine. That was the way I preferred it.

I mean, I had my Materia, what the heck did I need boys for? Well, when I developed those feelings for Cloud I finally found out what the fuss was all about. To be honest, sometimes I think I'd rather have remained oblivious. Unrequited love never did anyone any favours. Vincent was more than enough proof of that; he'd slept in a coffin for thirty years. If that's what unrequited love could do to a person then I wished I'd never known what it was like to _yearn_ in the first place.

Bottom line here: I was a total relationship retard.

I'd rather suffer silently on the sidelines, Vincent-esque, than be totally and utterly rejected by Cloud as I completely expected to be. I mean why would someone like _him _see anything in someone like _me_ when he had a beautiful girl like Tifa completely devoted to him. And they had HISTORY, besides. History makes a lot of difference. As do large boobs, which she also happened to have. And I knew I could never beat Tifa in _that_ department.

The girl had everything going for her. So how could a little Ninja girl possibly compete?'

Easy. I just _didn't_. Full stop.

And knowing my rotten luck Cloud was probably here in Costa Del Sol on his honeymoon with Tifa right now, most likely making lots of little Tifas and Clouds.

_Okay. Now I'm just torturing myself._

"Yuffie? Are you alright?" Cloud sounded a little concerned. And rightly so; I'd been staring blankly at his left eyebrow for quite a disturbing amount of time.

"Uhh…?" _Yeah. Real smooth. _"W-what are you doin' here?"

"Hey, it speaks! You sorta zoned out on me for a while there...you had me worried." His eyes crinkled laughingly at the corners, the MAKO gaze quite difficult to meet when you weren't so accustomed to it. "I'm just passing though, stocking up on a few things. Oh hey-" He held out a gloved hand which I took numbly, almost squeaking with surprise when he lifted me with ease to my feet.

_Woah…forgot how strong he is…mmm muscles… No! Don't think about them Yuffs, don't think about them…_ The last thing I needed was to get distracted with_ those_ kinds of thoughts.

_Wait a sec, Cloud said 'supplies'. But, hm, no mention yet of Tifa. Were they here together? If yes, where is she? At home with the... (uck…) ...baby? Baby supplies? (Ugh…) Should I just ask him outright? Wait, that'd be a little blunt…he might think it rude...oh, man-_

"So how about you? What are you doing here?" Cloud asked, saving me from my manic thoughts and looking so intent that I was almost convinced he really was interested and not just asking out of politeness.

I opened my mouth to reply but paused, surprised, when I noticed his eyes flicking down and then up in a quick once over of my body. A blonde brow arched slightly when his speculative, MAKO infused eyes finally met mine again. "You're lookin' good Yuffs. "

It was a good thing I hadn't gotten around to closing my mouth because it would've hit the ground all over again after hearing that comment.

_Huh?_

_Did Cloud just…compliment _me? On my _appearance_ of all things_?_ I glanced down at myself and nearly had another fit when I realised I was still clad in nothing but my bright orange bikini, showing off copious amounts of flesh…EVERYWHERE.

_Argh…embarrassment factor 10!_

_Hey…hang on a sec..._

Cloud just said I looked _good_…heh, well that changed everything!

"Why thanks Cloud! I've just been soaking up a little sun, relaxing, you know…" I burbled merrily, trailing off with a slight blush and lowering my eyes shiftily to the ground.

I really didn't want to lie to him but I had to be careful about the situation with my father, which, judging by his reactions up until now, he had no clue about. _Good._ I was gonna make sure it stayed that way.

"I'm…uh, on vacation actually!"

There, I'd said it and it wasn't exactly a lie right? I _was_ here for a break and I hadn't exactly lied about what was going on…I'd just omitted the truth _slightly_. There's definitely a difference people!

"Well. That's great...you really do look different you know. I mean you're still you but sort of-" He made an indecipherable gesture with his hands that could've meant anything.

I rolled my eyes; Cloud was many things, but a poet he would never be.

I tensed, my heart pummelling hard and fast in my chest, as he suddenly reached out a hand to gently twist a lock of my dark, long-ish hair between forefinger and thumb. He seemed absorbed by something…I couldn't be sure what it was. _The change in me? A year and half is a long time after all... _He let go and shrugged, seeming to shake off whatever thoughts had preoccupied him.

"I barely recognised you at first."

Part of me wished he hadn't recognized me at all, at least then I'd have been saved from this awkward situation. Plus, I'd now be the owner of a brand new, highly rare, extremely desirable new Materia.

I sighed mentally.

_Jeez…I really am a selfish brat._

"Uh, thanks." I scratched the back of my neck awkwardly, hating the ineptitude of my feelings. I couldn't remember ever feeling self conscious in my life and yet here I was, blushing like a little girl with a hopeless crush, hardly able to meet his eyes.

"Hey Yuffie, you cut yourself…" Cloud took my right hand in both of his gloved ones, inspecting a long cut across the callused flesh of my palm.

I gazed it blankly a moment, realizing that I must have grazed it on the ground when I fell. I sucked in a breath sharply and had great difficulty releasing it again when he started rubbing one thumb around the cut gently, a little frown of concentration on his face.

I was just about to point out that it was nothing and snatch my hand back to the safety of my side when something awful happened. The graze chose that moment to ebb, no, _ooze_ blood. _Oh great water god it was practically flowing!_ Despite being a skilled fighter I'd never really dealt with blood very well and it had been a long time since I'd actually seen my _own_ having such mad skills as I did.

"A-ahh! C-cloud do somethin'!" I managed to blurt, fixated with growing horror upon the open wound. Despite my plea all he did was release my hand and eye me with mild amusement.

"Do what exactly?" He blinked, squinting down at my palm as though he was having difficulty seeing the huge gash right there on my hand, spilling my life juice everywhere (oh Gods I'd probably lost a year already…urk…), practically spelling out _'_FATALITY_'_ in blood.

"Yuffie It's just a scratch, you've had worse than this…you're over-reacting."

"Am _not_!" I was absolutely disgusted with Cloud's lack of sympathy, just standing there like a great, totally attractive lump, watching me with the same apprehension and disbelief he'd usually reserve for the sudden appearance of a Jenova mutation or an insane, genetically altered, multi-tentacled Professor Hojo bent on world domination. "Come on you moron!" _When in doubt: insult people_. "Surely those ShinRa goofs in SOLDIER taught you some kind of basic emergency aid!"_ You can probably tell I get a little tetchy when I'm hurting._

He frowned darkly.

Oh hell, I'd hit a sore spot. He was as bad as Vincent and Cid sometimes with regards to his past. Always either moping, cussing or clamping up like a mussel every time someone mentioned something linking to times they'd much rather forget. The past was the past, things that had happened that you couldn't change. Biiiiig deal. That's how life works! Some bits are cruddy and some bits are awesome. Of course my life was mostly filled with the awesome stuff being as I'm so awesome myself.

"Yuffs, seriously…" Cloud sighed and shook his head as though his thoughts weighed a ton. When he spoke he spaced out his words as though I were hard of hearing. "It's – just – a – graze. You're starting to act like a child, and just when I was beginning to think you might have matured a little…"

I _couldn't_ believe it.

He was lecturing me – _now_ - when I was clearly bleeding to death as we spoke? This was one thing about Cloud that had always grated on me. He always thought he knew best…well, ok, usually he did, but that's beside the point! I was mortally wounded here and he was being entirely unhelpful about it!

_Gawd, I could be dead in an hour, minutes, seconds…oh Gods what if it was happening right now and I was too pissed off to notice!_

"You're completely ruinin' my death, ya know!" I blurted out stupidly.

_Oh hell...not a good thing to voice your thoughts when you are me._ My brand of thought was better off inside my head rather than hanging in the air between us like a bad smell. It tended to scare people.

"What the hell are you talking about now?" Cloud looked utterly confused and slightly disturbed, scratching the back of his head; something I knew from experience he always did when he was uneasy.

"I don't know, just do somethin'! Don't just stand there like a lump, I mean what if it's fatal or summat? I might've fallen on, like, a poison...rock. Or something. These things happen ya know!"

Cloud just shot me a flat look, folding his arms over his chest. "Now you're just getting hysterical. I can't even see why. There is absolutely no way you're going to die from a little graze. And there's not even such a thing as a poison rock."

"How do you know? What are you, some kind of closet geologist?"

He sighed. Heavily. "You don't need to be a geologist to know that stuff. It's just plain common sense." There was a slight undertone to his voice that I found highly suspicious. _He didn't think this was funny...did he?_ "C'mon. Just let me rub a little potion into it and it'll be fine."

"There's no time for that!" I hollered, blowing on the offending wound and hopping urgently from one foot to the other. _Okay, stop that Yuffs. It's not like you're standing on hot coals here. _I managed to get the crazed hopping under control but then a sudden thought struck me like a brick to the head.

Blood…

"_Gurk…"_ Suddenly I didn't feel so great. I'd never dealt with the sight of blood very well. Not my own blood anyway.

Blood, motion sickness and Materia: my three weaknesses.

"Gwah...!" I swayed a little and lurched forward, clumsily grabbing a hold of something, anything, to stop myself from falling. It just happened to be the front of Cloud's shirt, with his lean abdominal muscles pressing themselves up against my hands distractingly beneath the dark, slightly ribbed fabric. "Urhh…"

"Yuffie, get a grip." Frowning worriedly he clasped my shoulders either side with his gloved hands and attempted to steady me up on my feet once more. With my body being so uncooperative and sagging all over him unattractively like a sack of Ghysal greens I felt his grip adjust around my waist instead, supporting me against him and nearly toppling us both over backward in the process. "Yuffie, seriously, can you pull yourself together?"

_Together. Me and you could be together Cloud, _I thought dazedly, _if I ever had a wax cat's chance in hell of getting you to fall for me the same way I've fallen for you..._

Leviathan's balls, who knew having a crush could cause such sickening displays of freakishness. Fancying the pants off of your former leader, who was like 5 years older than you, and who was _so_ unbelievably, _'hands off, he's mine!'_ taken already by his bestest childhood-friend-with-huge-boobs was just downright pathetic.

I couldn't seem to help myself though.

I leant into him dizzily; smelt dust, secrets and excitement, glimpsed eyes of unnatural blue. His face was fading in and out of focus, perspective tilting alarmingly.

"Uhhrrmm…what's ya star sign…?" I mumbled incoherently with a goofy smile plastered across my face, catching one last glimpse of his surprised expression before passing out abruptly in his arms.

_In his arms…uhhhhmmm..._

* * *

When I came to later I was pleasantly surprised to see that my unsympathetic, though undeniably lush ex-leader and friend, hadn't just left me lying unconscious in the street to roast quietly in the midday sun (eww) or dragged my limp body out into the grassy wilderness and buried it in a shallow grave (double eww). Yeah, yeah, I know he'd never do anything like that; he's the good guy, the hero, and saviour of the planet, whatever.

_But then again…_

You could never be sure of anything when it concerned Cloud, he was about as emotionally and mentally stable as the Lifestream. I was constantly afraid that something tiny and insignificant might topple whatever delicate force held him in check, turn him into a salivating beast; not unlike one of Vinnie's monster transformations.

On the outside he seemed so calm, self assured and, let's be honest here, slightly dorky…but, underneath it all, I knew he had more layers than an onion, more volumes to his personality than a library, more depth than the ocean…yeah I know, all terrible analogies but I never claimed to be a genius at expressing myself.

There was no telling what a person who'd experienced his hometown being burnt to the ground before his eyes, himself and his best friend being experimented on, said best friend being murdered right in front of him, taking on the personality and living the life of the aforementioned best friend (Zack, for those of you who just aren't getting my subtle hints), being used liked a puppet...urgh the list was endless, more angst there than a jilted prom Queen.

You get the picture though…he was capable of anything.

Despite this it was a comfort nonetheless to see instead that he'd hauled my limp carcass into the nearest inn, (the one I was staying at coincidently), laid me across my bed and pulled a chair up beside me. I found Cloud that way when I eventually opened my eyes, watching me intently, hands clasped under his chin, as I blinked the world around me back into focus

For some reason I blushed.

Unfortunately Cloud noticed, and half smiled or smirked _(I couldn't be 100% sure through the steam rising up off my cheeks) _as though he thought he guessed the reason why. _Yes, Cloud I can barely control my baser instincts when I'm around you. Now if only I could say this to you out loud instead of only in silent inner monologues to myself._ _Urgh._

"Uh. Sorry about earlier..." I offered awkwardly and, still a little embarrassed over my freakish display, averted my eyes uncomfortably.

Cloud merely gave a little shrug of his shoulders and brushed a lock of hair out of his face.

I suppose the reason I blushed so rosily was due to the fact that I was laying on a bed half naked – way, way suggestive- with Cloud watching me like there was nothing else in the world that he'd rather be doing. _Pfft, as if._

I'd love to say that the way he looked at me was possessiveness but I knew, with due regret, that it couldn't be anything more exciting than plain old concern for my welfare. The thing was we'd never really been alone in a room together, there had always been one or more of our comrades mooching around in the background.

Sure, we'd shared rooms as a group before, it had been necessary during our journey. Not all inns had the capacity and space to cater for eight (nine if you included poor, sweet Aerith) people, so more often than not we'd had to squeeze into a single room together.

After the usual tussle over who got the bed _(with Cloud usually winning and then immediately offering it to Aerith and Tifa and taking the ground instead)_ I almost always found myself on the floor with the least desirable bed companions.

I still have nightmares sometimes you know…

Can you imagine it?

Barrett's thunderous, deafening snores from one side, the threat of combustion from Red's tail on the other, not to mention Cid cussed more in his sleep than he ever did when he was awake. Vinnie wouldn't lower himself to share a room and just disappeared after sunset and reappeared again at dawn much like the vampire I was forever accusing him of being. Well, a sort of reverse vampire I guess. And Cait…well, I pretty much ignored him most of the time so I haven't a clue where he crashed. Heh. Aerith and Tifa, I give them credit, slept like angels, looked like angels, all curled up delicately in their bed covers. Heck, I was pretty sure I would've slept like an angel too if the bed had been an option for me.

I remember being consumed with jealousy at the time, aware more than ever of how thin and awkward my arms and legs were, how underdeveloped my chest was. How I must've looked like I was suffering from a gender identity crisis in my dusty khaki shorts and green tank top with my hair an unruly mop on my head, barely held at bay by my bandana. Those thoughts had never bothered me before, back when I was travelling alone. But somehow being around two of the most beautiful women I'd honestly ever seen in my life and in the company of a guy who made me light up inside like a mastered Materia every time he so much as walked into a room changed all that; Yuffie Kisaragi had, for the first time in her life, felt the first stirrings of self consciousness.

_It sucked balls. Big time._

"Don't worry about it." Cloud commented smoothly from his chair, rousing me from my thoughts. "Feeling any better? It was pretty disturbing you know...you collapsing on me in the street like that. Although I guess it was kinda flattering too, in a weird way…"

_He was teasing me…right?_

"Oh, I'm _so_ sorry!" I responded with exaggerated sarcasm, humouring him. "Next time I'll just bypass you completely and flatten my face on the pavement!" I rolled my eyes. "Perhaps if I'm _really _lucky I may even break a few bones."

He smiled a full smile at that, so rare and_ so_ worth it. It faded again quickly as he shook his head, eyeing me seriously from beneath arched brows.

"You're such a weirdo Yuffie…" My heart faltered a beat. "But I wouldn't have you any other way." And then quickened once more. He titled his head and gave me a small smile."It's good that we bumped into each other..."

I barely heard what he said, I was still savouring the entirely too pleasant sound of my name on his lips, waaay better than some others I'd been called in my time; brat, punk, short ass, material-stealing-rodent-scum, most of 'em courtesy of Cid. Fortunately, Cloud seemed to have forgotten about those.

_Yeah, thank you Cid, really, thanks a bunch. I'll get him back one day..._

Something suddenly occurred to me and I turned my hand over, inspecting my palm almost fearfully. The gash was gone though, my flesh free of blemish or scarring; Cloud must've healed it when I passed out during my freak out. I looked up and, grinning at him, lifted my hand and wriggled my fingers happily. "Hey, thanks a bunch!"

"You're welcome." He murmurred softly. He didn't return the smile but his eyes warmed and it made me feel all strangely good, like my insides were full of warm, melted peanut butter.

_Hey, were we sharing a moment right now? _I couldn't quite keep the stupid, goofy grin off my face. _Cool!_

Of course Cloud had to completely spoil it with his next words.

"It's...a shame I can't stay, Yuffie. It would've been nice to catch up on things…" He shrugged apologetically and rose to his feet, scratching his neck absently as he glanced down sideways at me. "Seeing as you're feeling better, I'd better mosey on. I'm...expected somewhere."

"Uh... um…" I squeaked, flailing a bit as I stalled for time. "S-seriously? That kinda sucks..."

Inside my heart was screaming '_Don't go! Oh Gods don't go! I cannot beat without you near!'._ It hadn't even occurred to me that he might be leaving so soon after meeting him again… but there he was, adjusting his pack on his shoulder, strapping that giant metal slab he called a sword firmly across his back.

Cloud must have noticed something was off with me because he paused in his little ritual of preparation and gazed at me silently for a few moments, face set in that little questioningly frown of his. I wondered, through my misery, what he was thinking. I guessed I must just look as wretched as I felt.

"Well, be seein' ya I guess Spike..." I tried to sound cheerful. I sounded pitiful more than anything else; the cheesy smile I'd forced onto my face was so obviously fake to anyone with even half a brain.

Cloud was silent for a long, awkward amount of time, still gazing at me steadily. I started to fidget. _Crap, did I have a stray booger on my face or somethin'? I __**hate**__ when that happe-_

"Hey."

Without warning he closed the distance between us, unhurried, closer to me that he'd ever been. He cupped one side of my face gently with one gloved hand and, leaning in, pressed a soft kiss to the other cheek, lips lingering a fraction longer than I knew a friendly peck should have before he pulled away. For a moment I was overwhelmed with the impression of warmth, the smell of worn leather and the impression of his lips upon my skin. His hand lingered a moment longer than the kiss had before falling back to his side once more.

"Take care, ok?"

I was speechless with shock, slack jawed and wide eyed as I gazed up at him from my cross legged position on the bed.

Cloud's lips quirked one last time in that enigmatic smile of his, for one moment made me the centre of his odd little universe, and then turned away and strode out of the door and out of my life again without a glance back.

I stared into space for a while after he'd left, unable to speak or process coherent thought.

_Ooookay…breathe._

_Right._

_WHAT THE HELL!_

"He kissed me!" I blurted out loud, rising onto my knees and pointing at the door Cloud had just disappeared through. "He actually kissed me!"

The empty room, being inanimate, couldn't care less and could make no reply, so this incredible news just hung there for no one to hear.

_Dammit._ I heaved a disgruntled sigh and sat back. _Cloud Strife, of all people, _kisses_ me and there's no one around to brag to!_ Though I was kinda relieved Tifa wasn't. I could just picture her coming at me, fists swinging...wait, no. Tifa wasn't like that... but then, she hadn't exactly tried to keep her feelings about Cloud secret. And a kiss from Cloud to Tifa must be like gold dust. Heck, it was to me!

Sure, it was just a harmless peck on the cheek… BUT STILL, it was a kiss!

As long as I'd known him I'd never seen Cloud so much as hug anyone, let along give them a peck on the cheek. It was always people hugging _him_, taking _his_ hand, always trying and usually failing to provoke some kind of response. Never the other way around.

_So that makes me special then, huh?_ A slow, giddy smile spread over my face. I flopped back, spread eagled, on the rumpled bed and chuckled breathlessly. _Leviathan on a pogo stick! I really am a babe! Not even Cloud can resist my charms! _I cackled to myself gleefully.

Laughter subsiding, I reached up one hand and lightly touched my right cheek with my fingertips, letting them linger there a moment.

_What would it have felt like if it had been my lips instead of just my measly right cheek? _

I coloured slightly at the thought and bit down on my bottom lip to keep the goofy grin threatening to break free at bay. I rolled my eyes at myself. _What was I, 12? Sheesh._ I was long past the stage of letting myself go gaga over silly fantasies like that... but _still_. The possibility niggled at me, refusing to disappear. If Cloud could kiss me, even just a peck (something I hadn't believed him capable of, even towards true beauties like Tifa and Aerith), then was it such a stretch to imagine something more could happen between us?

I shook my head vigorously and, grabbing a pillow, jammed it over my face for good measure. _No. Uh uh. No way. Gotta stop thinkin' like that. _

_Seriously, Yuffs_, I scolded myself. _It's been two years. If he hasn't come lookin' for you before now, then it's just not possible he could have feelings like that for you!_ I groaned into the pillow. Where did that serious voice in my brain come from all of a sudden, anyway? It sounded annoyingly like my dad in full party-pooper mode.

I dragged the pillow away and pulled a face. _Since when did I ever listen to that old jerkass, anyways?_

_Heh, good point._ Reassured, I grinned and turned my eyes thoughtfully toward the ceiling. I gazed, eyes going distant as I recalled again Cloud's face moving close to mine, eyes softly glowing blue, his breath puffing warm against my cheek...then, the gentle brush of his lips...

I realised then that one little peck on the cheek was not going to be anywhere near enough for me…I guess I've always been kinda greedy.

I wanted more.

MUCH more.

And that was all that was required to make my mind up.

_If there was a chance it was worth chasing, right?_

Decided, I leapt off the bed with a grin, hunted around for clothes and began pulling some shorts on over my bikini. I found a pale green t-shirt on the floor that didn't smell _too_ bad and shouldered my way into it impatiently. Over that went my shoulder guard, hastily buckled. Then I dragged my boots and socks over to me from where they'd been propped near the dresser and pulled them on quickly. I wriggled my toes and grimaced; I could still feel sand between them, but it couldn't be helped.

Hopping to my feet I planted my hands on my hips as I considered my few possessions scattered over the dresser: some Materia, a little change in gil, my sunglasses and a few knick knacks I'd picked up during my stay. With a shrug and a quick sweep of one arm, I let it all fall higgledy piggledy into my knapsack and slung that over my shoulder. So that was the packing over with. Fortunately, I'd always made a habit of travelling light (mostly 'cus I seem to get chased out of places so often).

After raiding the en suite bathroom for complimentary soap I finally turned my back on the room and headed out, snatching up my Shuriken from whereit rested against the wall by the door. I slung it onto my back, across my knapsack, where some time ago I'd added a special holster for it.

My thoughts strayed to Cloud once more as I snuck past the inn's reception desk. The innkeeper was dozing behind it, a newspaper laying open and forgotten across his stomach. I crept past him on my tippy toes (checking out would just take way too long right now. Besides, I didn't owe_ that_ much).

_I couldn't just let Cloud disappear like this._ _Who knew when we might meet again?_ I hadn't seen him in so long and now that I had I knew I couldn't just sit around twiddling my thumbs, waiting for another chance encounter. At the very least I needed to confess my feelings... ...even if they weren't returned. At least with rejection there would be some closure. I could handle that _- I'm Yuffie Kisaragi, dammit, not some weepy wallflower!_ But I reeeeally hoped it wouldn't come to that.

It was pretty obvious Cloud was just as much of a wandering vagrant as I was. At the very least I could offer some good travelling company. I'd picked up a crap load of stories and anecdotes during my travels the past two years that I was sure could cheer up even dour old Cloud. And I was no slouch when it came to fighting either! By tagging along with him I would just be fulfilling my duty as his friend. _Ahem._ And if I happened to have an ulterior motive, well so what?

_Heh._ What can I say, I'm an optimist.

And sometimes one good solid chance was all you needed... At least it always seemed to work that way when stealing Materia. So how hard could it be to steal Cloud's heart? (Anyways, I've always enjoyed a good challenge!)

_Yep, yep, yep._ The cogs of my mind churned merrily.

Cloud, poor guy, wouldn't know what hit him._ Heh heh! _But first, before I followed him off to Leviathan knew where, I had a little unfinished business to attend to...

I rubbed my hands together briskly as I stepped out onto the dusty street, my eyes narrowing purposefully upon my unsuspecting target.

_Yep, life was finally starting to get __**good **__again._

_Nyuk nyuk nyuk…_


	2. Chemistry

**Eyes Wide Open**

_Chapter Two_

'**Chemistry'**

* * *

I heaved a sullen sigh, wondering just what I'd gotten myself into exactly.

With hands thrust deep into the pockets of my shorts I walked, my boots dragging along the mossy path with each tedious step; taking me deeper and deeper into the oppressive heat of the forest I'd pursued Cloud into earlier that day. We were a few hours trek away from Costa del Sol now, in one of many small forests dotted between there and the Corel mountains. Suspicions had begun to form in my mind for the last hour that that was the direction Cloud was in fact ambling towards. I just couldn't fathom _why_.

Doubts about my sudden decision to abandon my vacation in Costa Del Sol and stalk Cloud to wherever it was mercenary, ex-Soldiers went to when they weren't giving ninja girls unnecessarily potent crushes had started creeping in around the time I stepped in the fourth honking pile of monster crap.

_Yep, you heard me right. _

Do I also need to add that Cloud is some kind of freak who does not require rest, food or even the occasional trip to the bushes with the customary handful of leaves when he travels? _Gods_, the guy's been walking three hours straight through as many jungles with my sorry ass in tow and moving at a speed that is, frankly, _disturbing_. As if to emphasize this point the dull, heavy ache in my weary legs gave a feeble twinge, reminding me of its existence.

I mean it wasn't like I didn't have my own, not inconsiderable, problems after all; did I really have the_ time_ to be chasing Cloud on a whim, just because I happened to be hopelessly besotted with the guy? _I should be keeping a low profile_, I thought resignedly, not displaying such slavish deference to some irrational infatuation. _Yuffie Kisaragi bows to no one_, I thought decisively, raising my chin proudly and picking up my step a bit. I sagged again a moment later as I caught another tantalizing glimpse of Cloud in the distance, far ahead of me on the winding, barely there trail. _Yeah, right. Except to my hormones seemingly._

The path I followed Cloud down was a healthy and safety officer's nightmare, strung with idly drooping vines that I swear had some kind of unreasonable need to trip me up whenever my concentration happened to wander, even for a moment. The much worn trail, basically a moss strewn cocktail of silt and mud, was interrupted needlessly with the pointiest, most bothersome rocks I'd ever had the misfortune to trip upon. Unfortunately the gnarled tree roots that flung themselves with abandon across my path every few steps seemed almost as hell-bent on tripping me as the rocks and vines were.

A few times already I'd lost sight of Cloud's bobbing, prickly looking hair-do, or suffered a moment's panic when the trail seemed to have disappeared into obscurity. If it weren't for Cloud's heavy boot prints in the warm, soft earth and his shrill whistling (although I could kinda do without the whistling to be honest) I don't think I'd have kept up with him. _Hells,_ it would have taken me a day or two to navigate _myself_ out of this botanical labyrinth let alone locate Mr Screw-up himself in the wilderness. And only_ he_ could get away with the kind of whistling that provoked haemorrhaging of course. Only Cloud would dare, or as the case more likely was, not give a rat's ass. No one in their right mind waltzed through a jungle saturated with monster spawn whistling loudly with seemingly not a care in the world. Might as well just finger paint the words 'HUMAN FODDER' across your chest, strap a giant neon light to your head and yell _'COME MY PRETTIES! COME!_' as loudly and enticingly as possible. Of course, not many people were genetically super strong and carried the Ultima weapon. _Heh._

With a great effort I finally managed to lift my eyes from my glum contemplation of my grime encrusted boots in time to catch another brief glimpse of the spiky haired, armor clad figure moving quickly and inexhaustibly a far ways ahead of me; the oblivious source of my current discomfort. The corners of my mouth turned down sourly, just as the mosquito that had been buzzing persistently around my ear for the last five minutes finally made up its mind and chose to bite me savagely on said limb. _If an ear could be counted as a limb. I've always wondered about that actually._ My eyes narrowed on Cloud's distant form as I began to scratch at the mosquito bite with absentminded violence. _There he is, the insensitive jerk, happily unaware of the near constant discomfort and torment he's causin' me. Speakin' of which, __**what**__ the heck __**BIT**__ me?! This itch is like pure __**evil **__incarnate! Feel's more like a bite from JENOVA than some crummy mosquito..._

From what little I could see Cloud didn't seem to be suffering at all. No fidgeting in the tyrannical heat, no scratching at bites or stumbling over the natural, randomly growing detritus that littered the forest floor. It was almost as though he had some protective shield about himself, a bubble that separated him from the various nuisances of the forest. His body had a resolute, unflagging set to it that my own hunched and tormented form conspicuously lacked.

_How the hell does he manage it?!_ I pondered bitterly as yet again I found myself frantically swatting at another ravenous mosquito, ducking desperately away from its clutches with an irrational surge of outrage.

_Trust me to fall in love with a robot._

I winced at the moist heat hanging lead-heavy in the atmosphere all around me. Outside of the jungle I was aware that it was probably a fairly mild day but being inside was like being trapped within the Honey Bee Inn sauna surrounded from all sides by seven of the biggest, burliest metro-sexual guys on the planet. And if you don't believe me just ask Cloud what _that's_ like. I couldn't recall tiring so easily _before _my little stint in Costa. _So, what was the deal?_ My vacation at Costa del Sol seemed the obvious culprit; I was starting to realise just how soft the brief spell there had made me; it had fashioned me into some weed-like creature; wilting in the too hot sun. Personally, I blame it on the cocktails – if only I hadn't let myself get whammed everyday! A combination of lazing about on the beach, sleeping the afternoons away in my rented room and hanging out in the Tiki bar had clearly taken its toll on me. I'd hadn't realised just how much of a beach bum slacker I'd turned into until now.

Until Cloud had popped up out of the blue and I'd promptly followed him off into the wilderness without a second thought. _Yeah, who does that anyway? Besides weirdo's like me of course. _

I'd been tracking my oblivious blonde friend at a distance ever since he'd vacated Costa Del Sol that afternoon. Gawd forbid he noticed my presence, since I couldn't really predict what his reaction would be. If he even recognised me; Lord knows how I'd appear to him; a dismal looking creature with twigs and leaves sticking out of my sweat damp hair and sporting an irksome rash that had begun purple alarmingly across my neck. I was covered head to toe in various bug bites (heck, you could probably catalogue the jungle's entire bug population), scrapes and some gross sap stuff that a malevolent plant armed with giant suckers had squirted me with earlier. It had left me smelling unpleasantly of mould. Possibly Cloud would just mistake me for a monster and hack me to teensy pieces before it even occurred to him to inspect his victim. _Urgh, these morbid thoughts are NOT exactly helpin' Yuffs._

"Gawdammit." With much irritable muttering to myself, I just about managed to side step another freakishly large monster poop and then went and half tripped over a random tree root instead. Gritting my teeth, I righted myself and blew a ragged tuft of hair out of my eyes. They instantly narrowed, with evil intent, upon the distant spikes of Cloud's hair – bobbing cheerfully up and down a fair way ahead of me up the path. _M__ocking _me_._

_Why_ did the guy not _rest_?

_Mutant_.

I kicked a stone morosely out of my way, wondering what the hell I thought I was doing out here following Cloud about like some maniac, psycho stalker. Ok, so I'd always been impulsive but this was just **insane.**_ Stupid heart, giving yourself away to someone who wouldn't know if he was being hit on unless the dictionary definition jumped up and bit him on the ass._

_I just need a little cheering up. That'll get me in the mood for stalki- uh, I mean travelling again, _I decided, in an attempt to pep myself up once more_. Yep._

And I knew just what would send the blues packing! Reaching down into one pocket I pulled out my prize new possession: the Chakra Materia sat placidly in my cupped hands, the sunlight snared in its deep blue depths splintering and dappling itself harmlessly across my nose and cheeks. I sighed happily, staring at it with glazed eyes for a few blissful moments. The Chakra Materia twinkled back affably, _obviously_ thanking me for rescuing it.

_Mine! All mine!_

_Okay, I do realise it's crime...but really, what's some fat shop keeper gonna do with something awesome like this anyways, huh? _

_Well, sell it I guess._

_BUT!_

_I'm guessin' in a way I've saved him from a lot of hassle! Yeah, he'll probably be thanking me later when he no longer has to watch his stall or deal with grumpy customers... Yep, that's it! Go team Kisaragi! Nyuk! Nyuk!_

Despite these determinedly optimistic thoughts deep down in the murky, rarely examined depths of my subconscious, where there still lurked a sliver of conscience, I kinda knew I was in a bit of trouble. It hadn't been a subtle theft; I'd pretty much just run up to the merchant blob-meister, tripped him flat upon his face (causing a minor earthquake in the process) and snatched away the Chakra Materia before he had a chance to set his considerable bulk to rights and react with the expected level of outrage. By the time he was ready to give chase I was long gone; shooting out of town like I had some kind of haste Materia glued to the heels of my boots.

Unfortunately about fifteen people, including some plainclothes officer, had witnessed the crime and chased me a fair way out of town until, using my mad, amazing ninja skills, I finally managed to shake 'em off...by hiding in a tree until they'd passed by. Okay, so maybe the method had lacked _finesse _but it was the end result that mattered, right? In that aspect I was 'win win win' all the way.

Of course, I wouldn't be able to go back to Costa del Sol for a few years...well, maybe ten if I was lucky.

Pah! What loser _wanted_ to go stay in that crummy resort town anyways! Everyone knows Yuffie Kisaragi _hates_ Resort Towns! And Yuffie Kisaragi had way better and more important things to do, *cough-cough*, than loaf about on some beach; drinking cocktails...flirting with cute surfer guys...sleeping and eating as much as she liked...

_...Aw, crap. _

I let out a battered, self pitying sigh; neglecting for a moment the possibility that Cloud might happen to hear it. Although, it seemed unlikely he'd hear much of anything over his Gawd awful whistling. "Wait a go Yuff, you're a full blown idiot. Congratulations!" _Great. Talking to myself out loud now._ _Wasn't that, like, the first sign of madness? Or was it licking your feet? I can never remember... _

_Hm._

Violently I squished a bug in my path as I walked, the murder comforting me slightly. I was so absorbed in my thoughts that I didn't realise Cloud's tuneless whistling had ceased until I very nearly walked right on top of him.

Fortunately I realised my error just in time to spring an impressive leap, government agent style, into a nearby bush. Crouching low and trying to quiet my breathing I peeked through the leaves and was relieved to see Cloud standing a little way ahead, still oblivious to my presence. From my awkward vantage point I could see he was actually consulting a rumpled map, his brow furrowed; scratching his head absently in thought. _Lost_, typical. Without thinking I snorted loudly at the thought, immediately clamping both hands over my traitorous mouth. It was too late though.

Cloud glanced around sharply at the sound, his keen blue eyes narrowing intently upon the innocent looking foliage about, which included the bush I was currently crouching behind, inwardly cursing my big mouth.

I silently prayed to Da chao, Leviathan, Holy, the Cetra and (just in case) the Lifestream that Cloud would not feel the urge to investigate my hiding place. Surely one of those celestial entities would keep my hapless carcass safe from discovery?!_ Please guys, please, please, please! I'll be good for the rest of my life, __**I swear**__! I'll be a reformed ninja! I promise! No more stealing Mater- actually no, 'cus realistically we all know that just ain't gonna happen... Just don't let Cloud find me...please, please..._

The silence was so thick and still I half fancied I could _hear_ the slow trek of a sweat drop cruising down my left temple. My heart pumped away like a lead weight in my chest, the staccato pulse jumping in my throat and beating like parade drums in my head.

It seemed my prayers had been answered when I heard the unmistakable scuff of Cloud's hefty combat boots moving away and becoming distant. With overwhelming relief I flopped limply back onto the mossy floor and sighed heavily, rejoicing at my miraculous escape.

"_Phew Yuffs..._that was a close one, gotta be more careful next tim- _WOOOAA-AAH!!_ _**HEY!**_ LEMME GO YA BASTARD!"

Without warning a large, gloved hand had reached into my hiding place and grabbed one of my ankles dragging me bodily out of the bush; my limbs flailing wildly and ineffectually. I found myself deposited roughly in an awkward tangle of limbs and armour onto the bug infested, in front of a rather large pair of booted feet.

I scrambled up with a curse and immediately found myself confronting Cloud – looking, if possible, angry, confused and bemused all at once. Woah - an emotive record for someone who had a stunted emotional scope at the best of times.

_The bastard tricked me! He doubled back and surprised me! Grr._

I guess in a way I'm pretty lucky he actually pulled me out of the bush first instead of just hacking me up with his enormous penis compensating symbol, a.k.a the Ultima blade, before heaving my mangled corpse out of the bushes to inspect his handiwork. I'm pretty sure no one would have missed me, and _look_ a conveniently deep jungle to hide my unfortunate corpse in...okay, getting off track here.

"What the hell are you doing here!" He demanded bluntly.

"I uhm...erm..." I stalled, my brain unhelpfully numb and limp.

Well okay, he'd just asked me a pretty reasonable question but unfortunately one I had absolutely no clue how to answer without incriminating myself. My only viable choice was to play the mindless, dumb optimism card; sometimes that worked. But more usually _not_. It wasn't like I was swimming in options here, so what the hell...

"Huh! What a coincidence meetin' you here!" _In a bush, in the middle of some random jungle, miles away from Costa Del Sol. Right. _"Gawd Cloud we just keep bumpin' into each other today don't we? Heh...funny that."

_He's not laughing. _I smiled hugely, making my eyes as wide and innocent as possible and even tried batting my eyelashes a little. I wasn't Aeris however so I just ended up looking like I'd got something in my eye, which wasn't particularly persuasive.

"I hope you're not stalkin' me! Though I understand why you would with me bein' such a babe an' all!" There was a very pregnant pause in which I held my breath and, I suspect, turned slightly blue.

"Right..." Slowly his brows rose over a gaze that had become incredulous, and there was an unmistakably sardonic slope to his mouth. "It _is_ funny...meeting way out in the middle of nowhere like this. I mean considering I saw you in Costa del Sol only a few hours ago. Must be fate, I guess."

I laughed nervously as I nodded, although inwardly I wondered whether I was out of danger yet. I mean all the usual signs that he was about to grab me and string me upside down from a tree were there but beneath it all something like a smile appeared to be playing at the corners of his mouth. Maybe it was the sun in my eyes or the tepid heat of the jungle had finally gotten inside my head and was making me see mirages and crap.

"Yeah, uh, must be." I squeaked nervously, suddenly finding it very important to find something to do with my hands. I wondered what way to hang my arms and stand to look less suspicious but ultimately I felt stupid and just ended up fidgeting helplessly under his penetrating gaze. _Oh man, he must know I'm lying. It's written all over me! _Any hint of a smile disappeared very suddenly from Cloud's face, sending a shiver of pre-warning down my spine.

"Or _maybe_ you've been following me since Costa Del Sol." He shook his head, folding his arms over his chest as he half turned from me; a shaft of sunlight catching his face as it filtered down through the trees overhead. He looked angry and disappointed. "Damn Yuffie...just when I thought you'd matured and maybe even learnt your lesson from last time, you're _still _after my Materia."

_Um…__**eh?**_

I blinked, my mouth hanging open comically. I was incapable of doing anything other than gaze mutely at him as he continued.

"Do I look stupid?"

_Err…yes?_

_I've been stalking you with a hopeless crush since we met and you still think all I want from you is Materia. Do I need to whack your over the head with a clue, Cloud?!_

"Ever since we first met you've been after my Materia and even now, years later, you still won't let the opportunity to get your hands on it pass!" Cloud had been scrutinizing the toes of his boots, scowling, during this speech but now he looked up at me expectantly, irritation glinting in his strange, MAKO blue eyes. "I thought we were friends. Guess I was wrong."

I felt like I'd been gut-punched; he couldn't be more wrong about me. I know I've done some pretty lame things in the past, that asking for trust is going a bit far all things considered but _still,_ weren't people allowed to _change_? He was judging me from what he knew of me years previously, which was totally unfair. Because I had changed. Okay, not a lot. But enough! Vaguely, I remembered that he still didn't know the real reason for my following him and now would as good a time as any to tell him and dispel the accusations.

I opened my mouth to confess but in the end it just flapped uselessly. The words just wouldn't come.

_I can't tell him. _I realised, suddenly_. I'm not ready to say it...and he's definitely not ready to hear it. _Thoroughly frustrated I turned away and hugged my arms tightly to myself, feeling defensive and humbled by his accusations.

"We _are_ friends." I ground out finally, glancing up out of the corners of my eyes and through the ragged fall of my bangs into his critical gaze. "Or at least I thought so! But right then, right away you just automatically leapt to the wrong conclusion. You _still_ don't trust me, even after all we've been through, do you Cloud?" I didn't wait for an answer, just sighed and sank stiffly onto a nearby log; my back turned to him and my shoulders hunched over dejectedly.

"I followed you for a lot of reasons." I informed him quietly, gazing unseeingly down at the ground between my boots. "...I followed you because I was curious…" _Lie._ '- and I followed you because I was bored and wanted to see if you were going on another adventure." _Lie._ "- And...I followed you because I'm tired of wandering around aimlessly and fed up of being bossed about my arrogant pig of a father or maybe just because I'm sick of being alone all the time!" _That was the truth... but not the whole of it. The rest I just can't say._ "Okay? Satisfied?"

The silence that followed was of the decidedly uncomfortable kind but I forced myself not to look at him, allowing him to slowly digest my words. I was beginning to think maybe he'd just turned around and left when one gloved hand, large and warm, was suddenly resting, hesitant but comforting, on my shoulder. The hand remained as Cloud sat down to one side of me, so his arm was now draped consolingly over my shoulders. I was afraid to breathe in case he removed it and equally as reluctant to lift my face. _At least long hair is good for something; hiding traitorous blushes for instance._

"I'm sorry Yuff." He said with a huff of breath, so softly I barely caught it. "I've been a complete moron."

"Uh huh." I laughed agreeably, albeit shakily.

"What… Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?" He offered haltingly and, chancing a glance at him, I saw there was a sheepish half-smile, small but apologetic, twisting one corner of his mouth.

"Hmm..." Feeling a bit more like myself I played along, pretending to ponder this and rubbing my chin with exaggerated thoughtfulness. "For this terrible crime Yuffie Kisaragi orders the guilty party, Cloud Strife, to..." I smiled slyly up at him as an idea struck me. "Dance about like a Chocobo!" I laughed gleefully at his horrified expression.

Cloud withdrew his arm and stood up. I was a little disappointed by that but at least he seemed ready to make peace with me. I watched Cloud pace about, knowing he was looking for a way to get out of it. Unluckily for him I wasn't in a very generous mood_. Heh heh..._

He stopped pacing and turned at wry smile on me suddenly, but with a little half frown creasing his brow.

"You're just joking, right?" I shook my head very slowly and with a very pronounced grin.

"Nope." The smile faded and he looked suddenly very flustered and frustrated.

"Yuffie, there's no way in hell that I, a full-grown man, am going to prance about like some idiot for your amusement." I exaggerated a yawn, unconcerned by his declaration.

"Aw, too bad Spike, you offered and you can't back out now." Settling myself more comfortably on the log, I leant back with arms folded against the tree behind me with a great act of someone sitting back to enjoy a good show. "Now, I'd like my Chocobo impression and don't forget the noises either!" His expression then was probably the funniest thing I'd ever seen in my life but I forced myself to keep a straight face, an expectant tilt to my eyebrows.

Very slowly and reluctantly he half heartedly waved his arms a little and then almost immediately stopped, his face falling, to look at me beseeching. I answered by raising my eyebrows a little higher and more expectantly, waiting.

"I'll get you back later." He threatened, and then, looking aggravated but resigned, proceeded to hop about the clearing, flapping his arms intermittently with great reluctance.

"You're forgetting the noises!" I choked and then promptly fell to the ground to roll about helpless with laughter; Cloud had began to mutter a few 'warks' and 'quehs' through gritted teeth as he continued to hop, grim faced. When he saw me dying a death of laughter by his feet he dropped all pretence of trying and rolled his eyes heavenward, as though silently asking the Cetra to grant him patience.

"Well, much as I love making a fool of myself for your entertainment Yuff, I really have to go now." I jerked to my feet at these words, listening intently. "It'll be sunset soon and I need to get to Corel before then." Cloud's statement automatically had a sobering effect.

"Wait a sec!" I grabbed up my stuff hastily and hurried over to him just as he was swinging his pack up over one shoulder and making ready to leave. He paused when he noticed me, a frown darkening his countenance.

_Didn't think I was gonna let ya get away that easy did ya spike? Heh, you have no idea…_

"Where do you think you're going?" Cloud demanded as I came to a halt at his side, grinning.

"With you!" I stated matter-of-factly. "Sheesh Cloud, you're a bit slow on the uptake, aren'tcha?"

"Hang on a moment..." He scowled at me for a long moment and opened his mouth as if to argue but then, sighing, obviously thought better of it. "Alright fine, you can tag along. _For now_. " He moved off, scratching his head absently, deep in thought.

_Huzzah!_

I performed a little dance of victory behind his back as he moved off up the path; then followed along quickly just in case he tried to give me the slip.

_Score one! _

Now all I needed was a little time to help Cloud realise how amazing and desirable I was and then I could move straight on with declaring my love and living happily ever after part. _Easy, huh?_

_Right..._

Beginning to look a little worried I moved on with Cloud through the dense jungle, hoping the answer to my problem would come to me sooner rather than later. I wasn't sure how long Cloud would tolerate my presence. I made a mental note to find out exactly what he was doing out here in the first place and why he seemed to be in such a hurry. As ever, the guy seemed to accessorize with secrets.

_Yep, still the same old Cloud._

* * *

I should have just sprung a surprise attack, gagged and then bound Cloud when he offered to cook earlier that evening when we'd _finally _stopped to set up camp, just as the sun had begun to set over the leafy canopy overhead. I'd exhausted myself trying to keep pace with the mutant man all day, the conformer a bruising weight against my back and becoming increasingly more infuriated when he refused to slow down or take a single break.

_Okay, so I know he wants to shake me off but does he have to be so fricken' blatant about it?_

We were fast approaching the mountains now; I could just see their jagged tips peeking northward in the distance, through gaps in the rubbery fronds of the palm trees. It wouldn't be much more than half a day or so till we reached the path that led up toward the familiar, decaying rail track and thence to Corel town. I didn't know about Cloud but personally I was anxious to get out of the jungle and into some fresh, cool air once more. I dared not examine myself too closely, knowing that I was currently an unspeakable _thing_.

Feeling like I was chewing on a dry slug rather than the fish Cloud had successfully burnt earlier that evening I forcibly smiled my most agreeable smile and chewed with exaggerated heartiness every time he glanced my way; rubbing my stomach with emphasis at regular intervals and making approving noises like _'umm...'_ and _'ahhh...'_. Cloud merely scrutinised me with narrowed eyes from the other side of the camp fire. He raised a blonde brow suspiciously but otherwise said nothing, eventually turning back to his thoughtful contemplation of the fire whilst half heartedly nibbling on his fish. Shaking my head at him soberly I laid back in the soft grass to gaze up into the starry sky and wondered just how many victimized forest animals had died whilst feasting on his campsite leftovers and sighed sadly for all those poor, innocent little souls.

I watched, faintly awed, out of the corners of my eyes as he took bite after bite out of the fish, not even flinching or turning purple or smoking or anything. _Whaat, he could have at least sprung out in massive green boils or something._ Feeling a little disappointed and wondering vaguely if Cloud's MAKO gave him some kind of immunity to his own sucky cooking I finally set the fish aside _(I didn't particularly feel like expiring from food poisoning)_ and sprawled inelegantly out onto my back in the soft grass, rubbing my protesting stomach soothingly as it grumbled. _Okay, Cloud is SO not cooking again, EVER... not for this ninja anyways._ At least this sucky experience had solved the mystery of why Cloud hardly ever stopped to eat when he traveled; I wouldn't eat his food if I were him either, I'd probably forgo mealtimes altogether and like, die of malnutrition.

I screwed up my face, thinking; my gloved hand moving in idle circles.

_Cloud's crappy fish tasted just like how I suspected one of Barret's dirty old socks might_, I thought_; all sweated in, holey and covered in crusty toe jam...uck, bad mental image. Bad analogy Yuff, bad, bad. Ugh...what a depressing thought...here I am camping out alone with a gorgeous guy and I'm thinking about Barrett's toe jam. Typical._

My eyes flickered briefly to where Cloud sat, somehow halfway through his fish and being completely boring as usual. He'd barely said a word to me since we'd begun our uneasy truce that afternoon. _Oh no, wait...he had said 'Shut up Yuffie.', 'Don't touch that Yuffie.' and 'Yuffie! Could you NOT trip me every five minutes?'_ I grinned a little, remembering.

"Oh man..." I whined helplessly as a partially digested bit of fish did a spectacular somersault in my stomach acid and sent my insides churning. "Oh gawd, oh gawd..."

"What?" Cloud demanded irritably from his side of the fire. "And don't say it's the fish because I happen to know for a fact that I am an amazing cook." He rapped his chest with his knuckles as he said this as though checking to see if his ego was still there. I snorted loudly and incredulously, but Cloud chose to ignore this. With a noise of disgust in the back of my throat I pondered the vast entity that was Cloud's ego.

_How is it possible for anyone to be so ego-centrically oblivious to their suckiness at something? There are a lot of things I can't do well so I just don't do 'em; take ironing for example and washing dishes and maybe like, household chores altogether. Cloud should really follow my example and just not cook anything, ever again, period, for the combined safety of mankind. _

I noticed he was looking particularly dour and grumpy. I suppose I should have tried to spare his feelings really. I screwed up my face as I tried to think of something nice to say. It wasn't easy: my vocabulary was comprised mainly of insults and short exclamations. I tried anyway.

"I'm sorry Spike...it was, uh really..._lovely _fish." No, it just felt weird. Clearly, it was going to take me a while to get the hang of this 'compliments' lark. The words that came out of my mouth were: _'It was lovely.'_ but my tone said_ 'Puh-lease! A chocobo could have cooked a better fish than that!'_

"Of course it was." Cloud stated matter-of-factly and immediately I found myself grappling with the irresistible urge to grab my skewered fish and shove it right up his nose, stick and all. Cloud sighed and finally dropped the act, his eyes shifting to meet mine across the bobbing fire. "Yuffie, I don't know why you're even complaining; _you_ were the one who insisted on followin' _me_ out here in the first place." The _'me'_ was emphasized with a moody jab at the fire with a big stick, causing sparks to hiss and fly up.

"Shuddup." I rolled onto my front and immediately groaned into a face-full of grass as my stomach lurched again. "Man, this sucks..." Fortunately, the grass muffled the last so I'm pretty sure all Cloud caught of that was _'Am iimmffarpps..._'.

After a few minutes of chewing grass I turned my face to one side, blowing my bangs out of my eyes. Cloud was leaning back against his rock now, fish forgotten, consulting a map and scrawling on it now and then with a thick, black marker. The fire complimented his profile with an insubstantial caress of warm golden light, his strange eyes turned almost amber in the gentle glow.

"Whatcha doin'...?" I mumbled, genuinely curious but too tired and aching to actually physically move myself to his side and look.

"Nothing you'd be interested in." Cloud replied shortly, not even sparing me a glance.

I immediately bristled. _What the heck was his problem? He couldn't _still_ be pissed about the damn fish could he?!_

"What makes ya so sure, smart ass?"

"What..?" He muttered distractedly as he attacked the map intently with the marker. He seemed to be marking different points in places scattered in a random pattern all across the globe. _The hell? Planning a round the world trip? Cloud on holiday…I couldn't summon the mental image, that's how unfeasible the thought was._ Cloud's eyes flickered irritably to mine. "And don't call me that."

"That - I - wouldn't - be - interested!" I repeated, spacing out each word as though he were a slow and difficult child. "And I'll call ya whatever I want...Chocobo Butt."

Cloud's jaw tightened and I felt a surge of juvenile triumph.

"It doesn't matter if you're interested or not." He glanced over, suddenly looking decidedly smug. "Because I'm not telling you. So, ha!"

I mouthed soundlessly, infuriated and at a loss for words_. 'So, ha!'_ seemed an incredibly odd thing to hear from a guy like Cloud. It threw me off slightly. In the end I settled for poking my tongue out at him rudely as I rolled onto my back once more, spread eagled like some bizarre ninja sacrifice and proceeded to sulk as loudly as possible and with as many long sighs and drawn out sniffs as I could muster.

After a while Cloud caved and growled. "Yuffie, either blow your nose or be quiet."

"Bite me."

"God, you're so-"

"Incredible? Witty? A total _babe_?" I supplied.

"I was thinking more _annoying_." Cloud grated, scowling fiercely. I was scowling pretty furiously myself now, his last comment striking a sore spot.

"Oh right, I forgot. I'm just a bratty kid to you aren't I?" I leapt to my feet, leaning down over him and his stupid map, now clutched half forgotten in his left hand. I shoved a finger right between his surprised eyes, jabbing him in the forehead for good measure. "I'm just an obnoxious, immature little girl with no right to know where the hell we're goin' or what you're doin', right? You don't _trust_ me, you don't _respect _me-" My rage was further fuelled when he had the audacity to scoff loudly at the word 'respect'. "_Hells_, you don't even _like_ me do you Cloud!" I demanded, half choking now with anger and hurt. All the unpleasant memories attached to my AVALANCHE days came back to me in a sudden rush. "Everyone just sees me as this extra baggage, somethin' to just _'put up with'_." I spun sharply on my heel and stalked away into the dark forest. I stopped before I left the circle of firelight, half turning to glare at him over my shoulder.

"In case it escaped your notice I'm not a kid anymore!" I fumed off into the darkness of the looming trees, not waiting for a reply. "Asshole!" Was my last parting shot and it felt good, mostly because I was too far away to hear Cloud's retort.

Strangely, despite my declaration, I had never felt more like a child in my life.

* * *

Twenty minutes later and I'd cooled down. Sort of.

I'd found myself a nice, suitably morbid glade to deposit myself in whilst I wallowed in self pity and struggled to sort out the maelstrom of feeling currently riding on the crazed high of my anger. The glade was pretty standard and satisfactory as glades go; I found I could huff and curse loudly whenever I remembered a particularly irksome part of my argument with Cloud and the surrounding trees and moss would be helpfully solemn and silent.

"T-that stingy bastard!" I slid down the rock I'd been sitting on and drew my knees up to my chin, glaring angrily over the grass stained tops. "Why won't he stop bein' so tight-fisted with the information already and just tell me where the hell we're goin', and-" I stopped, realizing with a sigh that I was, stupidly, talking to thin air. I needed something to take my mind off it; every time I replayed the scene I just got more and more irrationally frustrated. Idly, I slipped one grubby hand into the pocket of my shorts and immediately pulled out the Chakra Materia which, to my surprise, I'd actually forgotten about since earlier that afternoon.

I watched the comforting play of light in its deep blue depths for a while, sighing with increasingly less steam as my body started to wind down from the tension. Slowly I began to relax and the anger faded away, leaving only a hollow emptiness inside. My stomach then growled pointedly.

"Shuddup." I muttered to it irritably as I held the Materia up my eyes, frowning into the swirling mesmeric blue depths. "I wish..." I stopped myself, feeling stupid and pathetic. "Aw hell, what's the point."

Frowning, I kicked a stone with one booted foot and watched it ping off into the trees.

I should have known things'd end up this way. Even back in the AVALANCHE days Cloud and I had been famous amongst our friends for our shouting matches, which invariably ended with neither of us apologizing to the other and ultimately just forgetting anything had been said within half an hour of the argument. When Cloud and I weren't arguing we'd got along just fine, despite my unfortunate crush making me feel awkward at times. I'd never minded it back then and now I knew why. Because back then I knew I'd see Cloud again the next day, that neither of us were going to be leaving anytime soon; I'd taken his presence for granted.

Sighing heavily I began to pull out tufts of grass with my free hand as I continued to muse. It was different now though. There was nothing binding us together except my decision to tag along with him on the off chance he might realise I wasn't some juvenile, kleptomaniac screw up anymore. Well…not so much so anyway. If I hadn't made the effort Cloud would have just walked off into the horizon and cast me off without a backward glance. He didn't need me. He didn't need _anyone_. Not since Aeris, anyhow. _The big jerk's probably already packed up and left as I'm thinkin' about this...why would he wait around for me? 'Cuz nothing's changed...I'm still an obnoxious ninja brat. I just happen to be in lu…luh…_

I cut that thought off abruptly, before it went any further. I wasn't getting into that again, not tonight.

Suddenly I was struck with a lightning-like epiphany as I gawped at the Materia. The shopkeeper's words slowly replayed in my head but sounding sinisterly ominous now, instead of merely smug; _'-It's Chakra Materia Miss, VERY rare, 'posed to harness inner emotions of others and manipulate them or somethin'.-"_

_Emotions...manipulate..._

My mouth hung open as an idea began to develop with alarming speed. It was a shocking idea, totally immoral, but it would solve all my emotional problems where Cloud was concerned. If I couldn't win Cloud by his terms ...then maybe I could win another way...? I stared down with mixed horror and fascination at the Materia in my palm, where salvation lay twinkling innocently up at me. I tried to dismiss the thought as it rose unbidden in my head but I couldn't help myself.

_I could use this Materia to MAKE Cloud love me back..._

I shivered and quickly pocketed the Materia so it could tempt me no further.

_Dammit, I couldn't do that to Cloud. _

_No matter how much I wanted him to return my feelings if he didn't love me back genuinely then what was the point? I couldn't live with a fake love...could I?_

I gazed weakly at the tops of my scuffed, crud encrusted boots, feeling sick. And this time I suspected it had nothing to do with Cloud's dismal cooking. My hair slipped forward, cooling my flushed cheeks. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply for a while, waiting for the tension and excitement of the revelation to die down so I could think clearly.

_What's this? The Great Ninja Yuffie Kisaragi calming down and thinking things through for a change, instead of plunging head first into it?_

I scoffed, cupping my frowning face in my hands as I looked at nothing in particular.

_Maybe I had changed a little after all._

* * *

I'd already resigned myself to Cloud's absence by the time I finally decided to return to camp so I was more than a little surprised to find him still sitting stoically by his rock where I'd left him earlier, poking the fire with that damn stick again and staring into space, clearly mired deep in his thoughts.

He looked up so quickly when he heard the crunch of twigs under my boots that I could have sworn he cricked his neck. When he winced and rubbed it my thoughts were confirmed and I bit back the automatic snigger. I thought I saw something like relief flicker briefly in his eyes as he watched me approach the fire but it was gone so quickly I couldn't be positive it had even been there in the first place.

I sat down heavily against a rock opposite him and returned his gaze wearily.

"Look," I began with a little huff and pointed 'no shit-taking' look. "You really suck, okay."

His mouth quirked up at one corner but then quickly straightened itself out again.

"Yes." He agreed, his face completely, soberly straight but his eyes undeniably gleaming with wry humor.

"And your manners are terrible and you're moody and stubborn and annoying as hell...and you can't cook for crap, but-" My expression softened and I shifted a bit closer to him round the fire. " - but...I'm sorry." I dared to take one of his gloved hands and I was pleasantly surprised when he let me, almost too surprised to notice the way he squeezed my hand back slightly. I flushed and there was no darkness to hide it this time. _Oh holy Leviathan on a pogo stick..._ He had that almost-but-not-quite smirk on his face that I remembered clearly from Costa Del Sol when I'd woken to find him watching me.

_Huh, 'spose he thinks he's got me all figured out now..._

Frowning, I picked up the map which had lain discarded by Cloud's side up till now. I felt him tense as I held it up but he didn't demand it back from me or tackle me to the ground, Big Bro style, to wrench it out of my grasp. I waved the offending article under his nose, watching as he went a little cross eyed trying to follow it with his eyes.

"Can we just forget about _this_?" I shook the map meaningfully before dropping it into his lap. "If you don't wanna tell me what you're up to or where you're goin' then fine, whatever." I scowled and jabbed him in the chest with a finger. "But don't be a bastard about it okay AND don't treat me like a child all the time...OR, uhm... not have any breaks durin' travel time because it's seriously damagin' my bladder. Sorry to be gross but there you have it."

Cloud ran a hand through his hair awkwardly, having the decency at least to look a little chastised. "Okay, fine..." He hesitated and I held my breath, hardly daring to believe Cloud Strife might apologize for something. He coughed and stood, releasing my hand in the process. "There's uh, more fish there if you, uh..." I blanched and clamped a hand over my mouth. His eyebrows rose with surprise and he shook his head quickly. "...never mind."

He moved over to our packs and began pulling the bed stuff out.

"What, no night watch Spike?" I queried as joined him and caught my sleeping mat easily in both arms when he tossed it to me.

"No point." Cloud then held up a pink orb of Materia that glowed warmly in the cool moonlight. "Enemy Away." He held up another, also pink. "Pre-Emptive." He slotted the two neatly into his Crystal Bangle and then took off his gloves, dropping them onto his pack. "I don't think anyone'll be bothering us tonight."

"Impressive...but that won't protect you from me!" I grinned at his confused expression and then attacked him violently with my rolled up bed mat.

A brief war ensued (after Cloud had got over the initial shock) which ended with myself as the victor; my boot planted in the middle of Cloud's back, pressing him to the ground where I'd successfully tripped him. He'd let me of course, even I wasn't so egotistical as to think I could beat Cloud Strife when he was really trying to fight back. Finally I let him up, but only after much gloating of course.

I flopped down gracelessly onto my sleeping mat and burrowed into my sleeping bag, hitching the thin covers up around me. I felt a strange curl of heat in my stomach as Cloud dragged his mat over to mine and lay back, head in hands. I coughed nervously, half hating him for absently laying so close and half loving him for being so painfully oblivious.

_Dammit, if I had a camera this would be greatest, most amazing opportunity to get a photo of post-argument-sleeping-so-adorably-beside-me-Cloud...but I've never owned a camera and I don't 'spose I'd even know how to work the piece of crap if I did have it red hot and raring to go in my hands. Plus that would make me a…peeping Yuffie?_

I snorted loudly into my pillow, imagining myself hanging from trees like some pervo with binoculars and camera in hand. Cloud cracked his eyes open to slits of blue and looked at me questioningly. I shrugged one shouldered and gave him my most innocent smile, which wasn't very but seemed to placate him anyway because he just shrugged, closed his eyes and went back to lying there attractively; the moonlight highlighting the gentle curve of muscle in his arms.

"Cloud..." His breathing was steady and soft, his chest rising and falling gently with each breath.

"Uhhmm..?" He grumbled questioningly, eyes still closed. He scratched his nose absently and I bit my bottom lip to hold back a snigger.

The moonlight turned his profile silvery blue and painfully handsome. I traced the elegant curve of his brow, his straight, pretty average looking nose and finally the dip of his lips where my eyes lingered and I drew in a slightly shaky breath.

"AreyouandTifa, like, together?!" I blurted out, barely grasping what I was saying myself before it was out and hanging with unattractive candidness in the air between us.

_Oh yeah, very subtle Yuffs. Why not just strap a billboard to your naked body advertising the fact that you have a mega crush on Cloud and then strut to and fro in front of him banging a large frying pan with a spoon?_

I blanched at the thought and chanced a look at Cloud to discover him staring at me wide eyed and blank faced, mouth parted slightly with surprise and one hand buried nervously in his spiky hair. I smothered a groan and smacked a hand to my forehead, most likely losing my last brain cell in the process.

"Huh...I, uh...that is...we..." I moved my hand away from my face and saw that Cloud, despite my glaring display of tactlessness, was trying valiantly to answer my question anyway. His eyes flickered away from mine and back again in the darkness. "We… Tifa and me...well-"

"Yes..?" My voice sounded annoyingly squeaky to my own ears. I quickly cleared my throat.

Cloud sighed heavily, rolling onto his side to face me and propping himself up with one elbow. He regarded me soberly from beneath the jagged fall of his blonde spikes. "We're...just friends, Yuffie." He finished quietly.

I smiled weakly, feeling utterly stupid and loser-ish for asking such a question. _It was none of my business. Nice of Spike to answer me anyways though...heh._

"Thanks...I was just kinda curious I guess."

_Liar!_ My inner Yuffie accused. _You just wanted to check if there was any competition!_

I coughed and fiddled with the frayed edge of my sleeping mat. "She, Tifa...she wanted to be more than just your friend, ya know." I looked at him pointedly here. This had nothing to do with my own feelings; separate from those I'd always been curious about whether Cloud had noticed the way Tifa had mooned over him and hung on his every word, how her eyes had followed him whenever he entered a room. If he _had _noticed then I was surely in trouble; I'd been giving him doe eyes just as badly. _Seein' as he's being so open for a change I might as well find out while I've got the chance...right?_

"I know." Cloud said softly and seriously. "I just...I don't- I've never felt that way about Teef." He sighed and looked away thoughtfully. "She's my best friend, like a sister I guess."

_Ouch. I'm glad Tifa wasn't here to pay witness to this little conversation. She'd have been utterly heart-broken._

_So weird actually getting' answers from Cloud instead of a sharp or guarded look or even just the dreaded 'non-commital grunt'. Maybe he feels like he owes me this...after our argument or whatever. Hm._

I frowned at him and to my relief didn't flinch or look away when he returned my gaze intently in the semi darkness, shadowed face near expressionless. "But...she's gorgeous...and-" My frown deepened. "If you like her so much then why..." My sentence hung unfinished whilst I searched my blank mind for the right words.

_I wish I'd just kept my big mouth shut...what was I trying to do here? Convince Cloud that Tifa was so wonderful he couldn't possibly not love her? I could curse my big, stupid mouth sometimes and the things it blurted out without my brain's approval...not that my brain ever had anything worthy to add._

Cloud seemed to understand what I was trying to say. He smiled crookedly and reached over to tousle my hair. _Wow, could anything make me feel more like a little kid?_

"It's not just about looks Yuff-" I snorted incredulously. Cloud's lips twitched a bit as he rolled his eyes at me. "Okay, so it helps - sometimes a lot, but it's more about chemistry or a connection between two people you know? Otherwise...things'd be a lot easier."

I nodded at him numbly, my brain churning over what he'd just said. _Gawd, did I know what he meant about the chemistry part or what...sheesh, I probably knew more about chemistry than anyone on the whole fricken' planet I'd been analyzing my feelings for Cloud for so long. Hells, I could probably give full-fledged, snore-worthy lectures and stuff on the subject the way Bugenhagen did about Materia and the planet._

_Woah, woah...hang on...so what about Aeris?_ Everyone had always gone on about the obvious connection between her and Cloud, even I could see it back in the AVALANCHE days much as I hated to admit it. _Is that what she and Cloud had shared? Chemistry? A connection?_ All those long looks that said so much without saying anything at all; the shy, lingering touches and the near reading of each others minds and mood?

I suddenly felt extremely overwhelmed with the implications, completely outclassed by a flower girl who no longer lived. _Could Cloud ever feel that way about me? Could I outstrip the memory of Aeris? Somehow, I doubted it. Aeris had touched all our lives deeply and Cloud…who knew how deeply she'd touched his?_

I didn't mention anything to Cloud about Aeris the way I had questioned him about Tifa. Everyone knew this was a touchy subject with him. Cloud never spoke about her or answered to anyone else when they mentioned her name in a question. Or even when reminiscing about old times. So eventually no one brought it up around him anymore and then we'd all parted ways...

"What's up?" Cloud's soft voice rumbled. "You have your 'thinking' face on."

I grinned suddenly. "I have a 'thinking' face?! Cool!"

My grin faded a little and I turned onto my side, mimicking his posture.

"I was just..." I chewed on my bottom lip. "I wonder if I'll ever find that with someone...you know, chemistry." I gave an embarrassed cough, rolled onto my stomach and moodily began pulling out tufts of grass absently from the narrow space between our bed mats. "I've…uh, never even been kissed before. Well, not properly." My cheeks immediately went scarlet.

"You're still young Yuff." Cloud supplied helpfully, with a lopsided smile that did something funny to my stomach; made it flip-flop.

I shifted, arching a brow.

"Pearls of wisdom there, Casanova." He smirked. "I'm almost eighteen for cryin' out loud, I'm practically past it already!" I whined, throwing some grass at him just because.

"Hey, if you're past it then what does that make me? The walking dead?" Cloud protested, flinging grass back.

"Course!" I grinned as I brushed the offending grass out of my hair. "We held your funeral last month, lovely ceremony. Barely a face without a wet hanky. Vincent broke down and wept, Cid confessed his secret love for you and Barrett finally admitted to the cross-dressin'-"

Cloud barked a quick laugh and poked me on the arm. "You're very weird, do you know that?"

"Know it?" I smirked. "You just listed one of my best features!"

Cloud shook his head, eyeing me affectionately out of the corners of his eyes and suddenly I was uncomfortably aware that there seemed to be a whole lot less space between us than originally. Coughing nervously, I attempted to look somewhere other than at my painfully good-looking friend leaning casual and nonplussed to my right. I wound up meeting his eyes again, finding him gazing at me intently with a curious expression on his face. It was just a little smile but there was something secret and complicated about it.

"Tell you what..." He whispered, shifting yet closer and sending a delicious shiver of anticipation down my spine. _What the heck's he up to?_ He placed one hand over his heart as though swearing an oath. "I promise to kiss Yuffie Kisaragi before she dies. How's that?"

"Properly?" I prompted, my heart doing a strange tap dance in my chest.

Cloud nodded firmly. "Properly." He stuck out one hand into the small space that still existed between us as though we were co-conspirators sealing some kind of plot. "Deal?"

I drew a shaky breath, aware that I was grinning foolishly.

"Deal." I slid my hand into his and shook it firmly.

I felt a jolt of warmth at his touch and wondered if he felt it too. _Chemistry, anyone?_ I suddenly felt very smug and a whole lot more confident than I had an hour earlier. _Perhaps I wouldn't need to consider the Chakra Materia after all?_ The thought sobered me a little and I glanced anxiously back to Cloud, who'd rolled over onto his back with his hands resting comfortably on his chest. His eyes were closed and he was breathing gently.

"Get some sleep Yuff." He murmured softly and, with one last lingering look, I did as he said.


	3. Best of Enemies

**

* * *

**

**Eyes Wide Open**

_Chapter 3_

**'Best of Enemies'**

* * *

Cloud had no idea that I knew now where he was headed. 

I'd knocked him out the night before with a skilful Sleepel and then craftily stolen a look at his map as he slumbered unawares. The Gold Saucer had been marked in urgent looking red with the note '_See Dio_' scrawled untidily next to it. _Eh? What'd he wanna see that freakazoid for?!_ I justified my deviousness with the knowledge that Cloud must have known that I'd twig on about our destination eventually anyway; the landmarks we were passing were all getting increasingly familiar and obvious.

We were currently maneuvering at a snail's pace through the unstable rails of the abandoned and decaying railway track that wound its way doggedly toward Corel town. The sun was a distant smoldering disc high in the azure sky overhead, damn near blinding and turning passing Monster birds into darkly sinister silhouettes high up above us. The heat was unbearably heavy and oppressive. I could tolerate it fairly well myself now that I was finally out of the stifling heat of the jungle and into a climate that breathed and was more familiar. Having grown up a country that was always blisteringly hot helped some, but I noticed Cloud was getting more and more irritable by the hour.

His general mood that morning, although familiarly crabby anyway, had soured quickly as the sun climbed the sky and the most I could get out of him now were monosyllabic answers or indifferent grunts. So I kinda gave up talking for a while and concentrated on the passing scenery instead. The muggy, leafy forests had given way to rolling grassland which had then amalgamated into increasingly rockier terrain. In no time at all it seemed craggy, looming cliffs had sprouted up all around us and we were navigating the rickety old deserted train track with the irritating chirp of crickets buzzing all about us.

"So what are you gonna do in Gold Saucer then Spike?" I asked innocently, bored at last with silence; hopping neatly over a gaping hole in the track and then immediately sidestepping a suspiciously creaking plank at the same time. Cloud, a ways further up the track, stiffened, glancing back furtively over his shoulder at me. I continued cheerfully onward, eyes fixed with deceptive attentiveness on my nimble feet, pretending I hadn't noticed him pause to scrutinize me acutely.

"…What makes you think I'm goin' there?" Cloud started walking again albeit with a brooding frown, his tone clipped.

I rolled my eyes wearily. "Well, you hardly need to be Professor Gast to work it out. We're obviously headed to Corel and all crappy old Corel has is old people and junk and all it leads to is that pointless, waste-of-space old reactor and the Gold Saucer Tram." I paused to re-tie my green bandana, mopping perspiration from my brow and pushing my sticky hair back away from my face for what seemed the 50th time. The heat was so intense I could hear it hissing around us subtly, the air seeming to seethe with it. "I seriously doubt you've taken to collectin' junk, junky Materia or maybe even old people...thankfully, 'cuz that'd be pretty damn freaky! SO, Gold Saucer's the place! Gimme some credit Spike, it's hardly rocket science." Quite pleased with my logical reasoning AND evading the issue about sneaking an illegal peek at his map I was feeling pretty smug at this point.

Cloud seemed more irritated than surprised, glancing briefly back over one shoulder with his keen MAKO eyes filled with grudging respect. Suddenly he stopped altogether and just regarded me silently with a completely unreadable expression, his eyes calculating. I began to fidget. _Why the heck does he keep doing that? Gods, it's so irritating and uncomfortable._

"What!" I eventually exploded, the heat making me unreasonable and short tempered. "Do I have a booger on my face or somethin'? Quit starin' at me like that...!"

"Nothing…" Cloud smirked slightly, casually flicking some hair out of his eyes as he turned back to the path without offering any explanation for his increasing weirdness; which I felt he owed me seeing as I'd been putting up with this kind of odd, random behavior since I'd started tagging along. So maybe he didn't really want me here and if he had a choice I'd have been left behind in Costa Del Sol from the start but was there really any need to inflict these periodic, mysterious appraisals on me when I least expected them? _Gawd._

Confused and annoyed I followed him, keeping an eye out for dodgy or suspicious looking planks even as I puzzled over his little idiosyncrasies in my head. _But...what if it wasn't him but me? ...what if I really do have a booger on my face? Ah!_ Panicked, I checked urgently but found nothing - confirming that the problem was _definitely_ Cloud, not me or stray boogers. _AS IF a total hottie like me would ever need to worry about that! Ha! _

"I have... some business in Gold Saucer."Cloud spoke suddenly, surprising me out of my musings. I started and almost lost my footing, almost. His tone was evasive and I didn't fail to notice this but my curiosity is insatiable, what can I say.

"Business?" I probed, nimbly hopping over a jutting plank. "Like what?"

"It's not important." Cloud replied unhelpfully.

"Why so secretive?" I teased, smirking a little to myself. "Are you, like, one of those male escorts? Ooh that's so _seedy_! But you must work really long distance to compete with all those other gigolos, right?" I guffawed at his horrified expression, gleefully warming to my new game. "Or, _OR_ you've joined the Turks! Dio has hired the Turks!" I exclaimed excitedly. The idea appealed to my imagination as I pictured a gun toting, sleekly suited Cloud up to devious underhanded dealings on Dio's behalf in the drab slums of Junon. _Well I'd sort of suspected that might be where the Turks had laid low after Meteor anyway. _Cloud's expression was becoming increasingly more pained as I continued my tirade. "Wow, I always knew that Dio geezer was a suspicious character! I mean, any fully grown man who wanders about in public in just his underwear is seriously-"

"YUFFIE!" Cloud protested explosively, cradling his face in his hands in mute exasperation. "I DON'T work for the Mafia and I'm NOT a fricken' long distance gigolo or any other crazy professions your overfed imagination has concocted!" He strode angrily away, causing the already dangerously frail train track to buckle and shake alarmingly; spurring up dust in his wake.

_Hells, what does Cloud wear on his feet anyways? Boulders?_

I sighed with a casual eye roll and began walking again, albeit a little less perkily; chastised by Cloud's irritation. I hadn't taken three steps before I let loose a strangled, piercing cry ; I'd stepped right through the rotten, splintered planks beneath me and slid roughly and at a terrifying speed down the rocks; scraping my knees and the palms of my hands as I scrabbled to grab a hold of _anything_ to stop my mad slide. I knocked my head sharply against a jutting rock but managed to jab my hands desperately into a nook in the side of the cliff and hang on, like I was doing some bizarre barnacle impression. Panting and whimpering slightly with the pain throbbing thickly inside my skull I blinked up through the dust swirling above me and could just make out Cloud's worried face quite a ways above, scanning the cliff urgently for me.

"Yuffie?! Where are you?! Are you okay?!" Cloud's anxious voice floated down to me.

"Urhh..." I gasped weakly, releasing one hand from its tight grip on the rock to clumsily swipe thick trickles of blood out of my stinging eyes, all the while squinting to keep Cloud in sight. _No, I'm not okay jerk! I just fell down a bloody cliff!_ I waved my free hand desperately; now painted sickeningly crimson with my own blood. "DOWN HERE!"

Cloud's tense face relaxed with relief as he spotted me clinging leech-like to the rocky ledge and trembling a little with shock and the effort of maintaining my grip.

"I'm gonna lower a rope okay?" He called down reassuringly and I nodded, struggling to bring my thudding pulse down to a more normal pace. "When it comes, just grab it tight, hang on and I'll pull you back up!"

I breathed deeply and steadily, ignoring the blood trickling steadily down my face as I waited for Cloud to liberate me from my precarious dangling. _It always looks worse than It really is, you know that Yuffs._ I reassured myself, straining not to pass out from dizziness and the blood. My palms and knees stung bitterly where I'd scraped them and there was an odd, heavy ache in my right leg that twinged painfully when I moved.

Soon I felt the rope brush against my arm as Cloud swung it down to me and I grabbed and hung on as tight as I could, waiting impatiently for Cloud to start tugging me upward to safety. The pain was subsiding a little but the dizziness made it hard to focus my eyes; everything seemed alarmingly blurred. Through the dark bangs plastered with sweat around my face and across my eyes, the dust and blood drying itchily on my skin, incredibly I managed to spot a slight suggestive glimmer to my right where the cliff and metal structure of the track intermeshed. Without thinking, my Materia Hunter's instinct kicked in and I reached out and grabbed at whatever it was and clutched it close to me, closing my eyes and clinging as tight as I could to the rope as Cloud heaved me doggedly upwards.

"Ssshhh Yuffs, it's okay now. I've got you." Finally I felt Cloud's solid, comforting grip around my waist as he half dragged, half pulled me back onto the questionable safety of the train track. Head spinning, I pretty much fell into his arms and he held me close without protest, as if sensing I needed it.

"R-right..." I breathed into Cloud's dark, dusty tank top, shaking with relief, shock and Leviathan knows what else as he held me close, my head tucked under his chin with his resting atop my temple. I felt one hand in my hair moving gently, calmingly, as he whispered comforting little nothings against my ear. Eventually I calmed down and the shock receded enough to allow me to appreciate the fact that I was in Cloud's arms. I flushed; glad it was hidden against Cloud's dark tank top. _Woah...if there was some way to prolong this moment for eternity I'd gladly give up my entire Materia stash._

"Phew..." I managed a shaky laugh against his shoulder. "That was a close one, huh?"

"Yeah... What is that?" Cloud pulled away from me, holding me gently at arms length with one hand and rubbing at his chest with the other. He was looking down questioningly at the object still clutched forgotten in my hands.

"Oh!" I frowned, noting finally that it was actually a small glittery grey pouch, the kind we used to find little trinkets and treasures in back when we were chasing General Sephiroth across the planet. "No clue, I kinda just grabbed it as you pulled me up; it was wedged into the rock."

"Yeah, I remember those." Cloud's eyes narrowed introspectively, recalling memories. "I've fallen lots of times off this track myself-"

"Erm...that's nothing to brag about you know..."

Cloud rolled his eyes and continued. "-and I usually came up again with some kind of treasure." His gaze flickered briefly to the cut on my forehead that was still weeping a little blood then returned to my eyes again, a rueful smile ghosting over his lips. "Never fell quite as far as you though Yuffs, that's a new record."

"I wasn't trying to break some stupid record you moron, it was a frickin' accident." I bristled defensively. "Which YOU caused by the way by stompin' around in your goddamn elephant sized boots!"

Cloud raised a brow but said nothing, returning to his impassive examination of my wounds. I winced and huffed pointedly as he prodded the scrapes on my palms, calculating the damage.

"Just sit still and let me get you cleaned up."

"Fine, whatever." Annoyed that I couldn't find anything to argue with in his sentence I merely nodded and sighed, allowing him to sit me down on a nearby rock as he rifled through our packs looking for a Restore Materia. I took the opportunity to check my pockets, sighing with relief as my hand closed around the familiar weight of Chakra Materia. Part of me had kinda hoped it might have been lost in the fall so I would no longer be tempted to use it but another darker part of me was crowing victory that I still had it in my possession. It was strange feeling so conflicted about a piece of Materia. _I still don't know what hell I'm gonna do with this thing though...__ The thought sobered me._

I experienced the peculiar, prickling warmth of a Cure spell and soon Cloud had my cuts and scrapes all healed up; cleaning away the blood around my face and hands with surprising gentleness. We looked pointedly away from each other as he worked in silence, discomfited by the seeming intimacy of the contact. _Well, I can only assume that was the case with Cloud. More likely he didn't want to see the blatant worship in my eyes, so he avoided them._ But his touch was gentle, considerate and I kept recalling the way he'd held me close after I'd fallen.

_Pffft...get a grip Yuffs!_

I huffed a sigh, watching Cloud pack away our things with a little frown. Even though the more dominant part of me kept saying over and over that pursuing Cloud like this was pointless there was a small part that just wouldn't quit and kept on hoping regardless. I guess it was my innate stubborn side shining through. I felt torn as to what to do and quite frankly the feeling sucked worse than all the suckiest things I'd ever experienced put together.

_After all this is over I am SO gonna meet up with Vinnie and write a bestseller on unrequited love. Hells, we'd even have enough material between us for a sequel too._

"So, what's this treasure then?" Cloud crouched down beside me with an expression of detached curiosity.

"Oh yeah! Let's have a look!" I grinned with renewed enthusiasm, banishing my worries, and hastily opened the silver pouch in my lap, reaching inside for whatever marvelous plunder lurked in waiting. My jaw dropped when I pulled out a Body Shield of folded and ancient looking black leather that looked like it wouldn't have protected its wearer from a flurry of marshmallows let alone all the sharp and dangerous weapons that existed in the world. "Hmmph...what is this crap?! I didn't fall off that cliff for nothin'!" I tossed the offending article to one side, feeling decidedly put out.

Cloud barked a laugh quite suddenly at the disgruntled expression plastered across my face. I'd never once heard him laugh before in the _almost_ two years that I'd known him and frankly, it was the most disturbing thing I'd ever heard; even counting the one time I'd walked in on Reeve slow dancing with Cait Sith in his office.

"WHAT!" I demanded, resisting the urge to retrieve the damned Body Shield once more and stuff it into his mouth.

"Forget it." Cloud sobered, shaking his head and shrugging diffidently. He was still smirking slightly however. "There must be something else in there...I'm pretty sure I felt something sharp."

_Hmm_... I reached inside again and was instantly delighted when I pulled out a small ring set with a jade gemstone that glittered mutely, like a cat's eye, in the bright sunlight. The metal it was set in was unusual; it looked like silver but it had a strange liquid sheen to it, giving the odd impression that strange shapes and designs were moving independently across its surface. _Weird_. It was pretty though and numbed the disappointment of the crappy Body Shield considerably.

"MINE." I announced smugly, slipping it onto my ring finger and poking my tongue out at a faintly bemused, indifferent looking Cloud. He gazed at the ring on my hand for a moment with puzzlement and faint recognition working his features. Suddenly he whistled as he let out an exhale of surprise. His MAKO eyes were penetratingly bright through the lazy fall of his jagged blonde spikes as they met mine. He scratched his chin thoughtfully.

"That's Mythril Yuffs, it's really rare and worth a fortune." _Oh, it's just getting better and better!_ I thought contentedly. _Heh, what a great day this is!_ Cloud tilted his head slightly, eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "If you ever think of selling it there's a Weapon Seller near Gold Saucer who'd give an arm and a leg for some Mythril."

"Yeah, but he wouldn't be able to enjoy it would he? With only half of his limbs." I snickered.

"Uh, yeah..."Cloud cleared his throat haltingly, climbing to his feet once more. He shook his head down at me, almost fondly. "You're really weird you know, Yuffs." He observed with a sigh and then absently dusted off his pants as though that was that and he hadn't just told me I was a complete weirdo to my face.

I snorted, watching him swipe his pack up from the ground. I took this as a sign that break time was over and quickly snatched up my own backpack along with my Shuriken; casting the worthless leather Body Shield and empty pouch aside onto the dusty ground_. It'll make some miner guy who happened across it happy anyways._ I thought with a shrug, dismissing it. I hurried over to Cloud's side just as he was strapping the Ultima Weapon to his back once more, squinting at the sun and then down the track as he worked the thick leather buckles.

"If we move fast we might make it to Corel by nightfall...you ready?"

I grinned and nodded and we set off in companionable silence into the afternoon light. As we walked though, I couldn't shake off the sudden sensation of being watched. I glanced over my shoulder furtively, uneasy. I kept my senses alert as we moved, wondering what could be causing the ominous feeling...

* * *

"I don't get it."

Cloud glanced back at me with a look of consternation, reluctant to ask. "...You don't 'get' what?"

"You." I replied simply as I moved agilely over the maze of broken wood and scattered shingle that pretty much made up the path ahead of us. "If you're not doin' somethin' illegal or sordid then why are you actin' so shifty-like, not tellin' me what you're getting up to in Gold Saucer and that?"

I dodged a gnarled tree root that seemed to spring up out of nowhere and paused briefly to wipe sweat from my face with the dirty, now blood splattered hem of my T-shirt. The heat had become more bearable as the day tailed away into afternoon but the air was still heavy and humid making me feel increasingly ickier as we moved. Crickets continued to chirp around us, accompanied now by the faint hiss of a rattlesnake.

"What? Not this again..." Cloud ran a gloved hand through his haphazard spikes, his shoulders slumping. "Yuffie, can't we just forge-"

"Shhhh!" I hissed suddenly, moving swiftly to Cloud's side.

Reacting instinctively I reached up and clamped a gloved hand over his mouth, pressing us both back against the rock wall to one side of the little path and into a dense patch of shade; ignoring Cloud's muffled protests. My eyes raked the silent cliffs surrounding us, straining for even the tiniest telltale movement. I was certain I'd heard the betraying scuffle of feet on rock. The feeling of being watched had intensified in the still silence of the canyon ever since we'd resumed our trek. The hairs on the back of my neck prickled expectantly, a shivering finger of apprehension trailing the length of my spine.

Then I saw it; a flash of black up amongst the maze of rock a fair distance behind us. I tensed; my heartbeat a frantic volley of thuds in my chest. Risking an urgent look up at Cloud I raised a single finger meaningfully to my lips. Cloud pulled a face but obediently made no sound; his expression clearly stated how ironic he thought it was that _I_, of all people, was asking for _silence_. I motioned for him to follow me and set off quickly down the path, keeping to shadows and cover where I could find it as we moved. I had a destination in mind; I just hoped we hadn't passed it already and, more importantly, that I could remember where the heck it was.

I thought about that single flash of movement, a vague sense of dread kindling in my gut. I was almost sure that I knew who it was, but I couldn't be certain until I'd had a closer look at our evasive new companion.

There was a horrible sinking feeling in my stomach where unease and apprehension mixed a cocktail of dismay. I had a powerful hunch who could be stalking us this far out in the middle of nowhere and the news was less than appealing. _Great, typical...Gawd those assholes have such perfect timing!_ A fairly uneventful six months had passed since our last confrontation, with nothing to break the monotony of life on the run and suddenly_ this_, right when I was kinda in the middle of something vitally important; trying to see if there was a chance Cloud could _possibly-perhaps-just-maybe_ feel the same way about me and the rude bastards just had to come bargin' in to ruin all the progress I'd made!

My father's ass kickin' ninja.

_Oh crap._

I was smack dab in between a rock and a hard place. It was a no-win situation as far as I could see. If I told Cloud the truth he'd be furious with me and probably even abandon me out here to deal with my own crappy problems and if I _didn't_ confess to him we'd still have ninja on our asses wherever we went and eventually they wouldn't be satisfied with just watching and stalking, they'd go in for the kill; Me, as fate would have it...and I guess I need not mention that I'm really not in the mood for explaining my disappearance to my father's most deadly assassins, being dragged back to Wutai to explain to my father _himself_ or even just explaining to Cloud for that matter.

Of course...there was always the possibility that my father had just disowned me and sentenced me to death as was the ancient and _totally anal-retentive_ custom of dealing with dishonor in the family line...true it hadn't been practiced for _centuries_ but all my other ancestors had been freakishly well behaved. _Grrrwah, well there's no way I'll be going without a fight so if they come anywhere near me we'll just see how much they like shuriken up their asses, eh? Heh heh that'd teach 'em for encroaching on Yuffie Kisaragi's territory when she was trying to make her move!_

After what seemed an age of scanning the cliff face I finally spotted the little niche I was looking for, the sort of natural rock deformation you'd never spot or think to look for unless you already knew it was there. Old memories resurfaced as I climbed, Cloud an obedient step behind. Last time we'd discovered this place purely by accident and Cloud, Aeris and I had stumbled upon a nest of Chicklets and a treasure trove of Pheonix Downs. Guilt made a small cameo presence as I remembered the way I'd cooed over them with Aeris and vowed virtuously to leave the Pheonix Downs well alone..._only to sneak back later and pilfer them all ruthlessly. Heh, I even managed to sell the chicks in Corel._

_Once a thief always a thief, I guess._

The nest was long gone now, just a scattered mound of twigs, old eggshells and feathers. Cloud and I crouched together in the remains looking vaguely ridiculous; shoulder to shoulder, breathing as soundlessly as possible although my heart was pounding horribly hard in my chest. I found myself gripping Cloud's gloved hand tightly in my lap. _How'd that get there..?_ If I hadn't been buzzing with adrenalin maybe I'd have fully appreciated the way Cloud squeezed back reassuringly as we huddled together in terse silence.

It seemed like it was hours we sat there, who knew how much time really passed, but I noticed vaguely as I began to drowse against Cloud's shoulder that the bright afternoon sunshine was slowly bleeding away into dusky twilight, the sky darkening as the sun half nestled upon the horizon. With heavy lidded eyes I gazed at the narrow opening where a sliver of the outside world could be seen, waiting for our stalker to appear. I tried not to let the warm press of muscle through the ribbed material of his shirt distract me but it wasn't easy. _I'm only human after all, not a genetically altered Sephiroth clone or some sort of Cetra descendant. _Cloud was watchfully alert at my side, his hair tickling my cheek pleasantly.

I sat bolt upright as a dark figure moved without warning past the small opening. Cloud tensed beside me, seeing him too. The man moved on wickedly silent feet, dressed all in black _-In this heat? Was the guy insane!-_ the bottom half of his face covered by a thin scarf _–black, biiig surprise-_ but I just caught the sly slant of unmistakably Wutaian eyes; keen and ebony black, like his neatly top knotted hair, set in an angular face with the high cheekbones characteristic of my homeland. Another moment and the guy tip toed _-Tip toed! How obvious can you GET!_ With difficulty, I quelled the urge to go down there and give him some proper sneaking lessons - from sight and Cloud and I were left breathing fast in the tiny niche, gazing unblinkingly at the space he'd passed through.

_Ohshitohshitohshit..._

_My suspicions had been confirmed._ There was no identifying insignia on the man's uniform but the clothes he was wearing just screamed _'Whoopeeeee! I'm a ninja spy!'._ If this had been any other situation I might have laughed; the guy had to have been the most conspicuous spy I'd ever seen. _Hadn't he ever heard of 'disguise'! Usually a key factor when you don't want to be discovered._ There were other obvious clues too; his blatantly Wutaian heritage for one that I just knew would have Cloud asking all sorts of uncomfortable questions just as soon as it was safe to move and speak again. _But there was only one man after all...strange…surely Godo knew I could easily handle one ninja...maybe there ARE more…he could have been scoutin' ahead for the others, confirmin' our presence here._

_Great, just PEACHY._

Cloud and I sat in silence for another half hour but the atmosphere had changed drastically. Cloud was tense and stiff by my side and trying to catch my eye; which I avoided at all costs, staring instead at the gap ahead over my the tops of my grass stained knees as though I expected another figure to appear at any moment. I didn't dare lean into his side the way I had before; he was emanating anger in thick, invisible waves. I fidgeted uncomfortably, wondering _WHAT THE HELL_ I was gonna tell him.

Finally, sensing it was safe, we climbed warily out of the little niche; my joints creaking after being cramped up in one position for so long. Almost as soon as my feet touched the ground I was whirled round roughly to face a seething Cloud, his grip on my shoulders bone crushing. His MAKO eyes smoldered blue fury as he glared down at me through his jagged blonde bangs. I smiled sheepishly and his scowl intensified into a death glare.

_Heh...oh hell..._

"W-what? You get a stone in your shoe? Heh m-me too, dontcha just hate...that..." I trailed off; Cloud looked like he was about to explode.

_"WHO. THE. HELL. WAS. THAT?"_ He demanded bluntly, in a scarily low voice I remembered well from times past. Whenever we'd heard Cloud start to use THAT voice all AVALANCHE members had run for cover in the various hiding places the Highwind had to offer. I distinctly remember hiding in the Chocobo trough down in the Chocobo stables with Cid during one such occasion. He'd been so anxious he'd just stuffed a whole cigarette box in his mouth and lit up the end, nearly burning his face off. I have a photo somewhere of Cid with no eyebrows..._I've been saving it for future blackmail._

"How am I supposed to know!" I floundered; gesturing as well as I could in Cloud's vice-like grip out into the darkness. "If you didn't notice -_I was hidin' too!_"

Cloud released me abruptly and stepped back, fuming.

"I think you have some idea...don't you think it's kind of suspicious you knowing we were being followed and hiding like that? How'd you know that the guy was dangerous? He could have been just another traveler like us or a miner on his way back to town, so why did you suddenly run and hide? _Well?"_

I clamped my mouth shut tight and refused to answer; straightening to my full height, which wasn't particularly impressive, and folding my arms pointedly across my narrow chest.

"Look, I just saved your ass so show a little more gratitude you jerk!" I shook a finger in his face and - _it was a really childish thing to do but_ - I stamped my foot. Cloud glanced down, arching a brow but wisely not commenting. I sighed, rubbing at my temple wearily where a headache had manifested with throbbing pain. "We've both got our secrets okay so let's just leave it at that. As long as we stay out of sight we'll be fine and if we do bump into that guy again I can deal with him myself so you don't have to worry about gettin' your hands dirty, OK?"

"It's dark." Cloud said shortly, turning to the path as if he hadn't heard what I'd said. His face was grimly set and his eyes flinty in the fading light. "Let's just get the hell out of here and to Gold Saucer, we'll discuss this when we get there - unless we run into your little friend again." Without waiting for an answer he stalked off into the growing darkness, leaving me gaping moronically; arms hanging loosely at my sides like a surprised chimpanzee.

_Like hell_... I thought, grabbing up my Shuriken violently as I stomped after him.

* * *

Gold Saucer's a pretty crazy place you know. 

It's both haven and home to the terminally bored and the excessively rich. A perverse man-made world where wasters and chronic gamblers united to fritter away their lives in the most demeaning and pointless ways imaginable. You mighta guessed it but…personally, I'm not exactly a huge fan of the place. If I had any sensibilities I'm pretty sure it'd ruffle every single one of them several times over.

And the proprietor of this _charming _establishment? _Well..._

Imagine in your minds eye the most obscenely muscled, steroid pumped wrestler type and winner of the worlds worst fake tan competition. _Got him?_ Now, strip that mental image down to a pair of absurdly inappropriate pink pants and you have, guys, touched the mere tip of the iceberg here. Dio owns and runs the joint; a self made Moolah Mogul? Messiah of the playtime industry?

Think again.

If Junon City's _'Who's who?'_ magazine has any credibility Dio inherited the theme park empire from his late uncle Martine who sadly went slightly insane in his old age. Martine, _whatever_, ended his days tragically, believing himself to be a penguin (he drowned whilst foraging for fish in the Northern Sea..._sucks for him_) and the Gold Saucer legacy was immediately passed down to a bemused Dio, who took up the reigns and, in his own famous words, declared; _'What the heck, I'll give it a crack! Heh heh heh!'_

Freak.

Anyway, for some geezer who knew absolutely nothing about running a theme park and the seedy attractions that go hand in hand with it _(Casinos, Chocobo Racing, Rides, Hotels, Swindling, Debauchery and downright deviousness)_ Dio's done pretty well for himself, even I have to admit.

The impressively vulgar outer glitz of fireworks, cartoon Mogs and rainbow lights are a thickly painted veneer to mask over what the Saucer really is... _a giant money sucking parasite._ I wasn't impressed with many of the attractions during our last visit and it was my first time at a theme park; ever, in my whole entire life. Pretty soon, after parting with a painful amount of GP at the racetrack, I realised that the Chocobo matches were fixed and the amateur _and no doubt handpicked_ racers had no chance against the mysterious Joe and his abnormally skilled Chocobo_. I mean, what the heck did the guy feed that thing? Ghysal greens injected with JENOVA cells?! _

_Sheesh…_

And then there's the Speed Square which might have had potential for fun if it wasn't for the sickeningly fluorescent and blinding lights that sent you into epileptic seizures halfway round the circuit. And I swear that some sick bastard installed a permanent Poison Materia on that damned Buggey that would have even the hardiest of seafaring pirates puking his guts out by the end of the first round. I know Cid did, too many times to count in order to complete his prized 1/35 soldier collection, and he's a fricken' _Pilot _for Gawds sake.

And the crowning cherry atop this gargantuan dunghill?_ Battle Square_; hangout for overly aggressive types to vent their frustrations by pummeling the captivity bred monsters or otherwise_ (when they couldn't scrape together the GP to get in)_ sobbing pathetically into their consolation prize tissues.

So overall, when I think of Gold Saucer I imagine a giant garishly colored, spangled vacuum sucking money out of people's pockets and their lives before their eyes with Dio on the other end of that gargantuan hoover; roaring with laughter in just a ridiculous pink thong. _A disturbing mental image I know. I apologize in fact for forcing it upon you._ Call me traditional but there are principles when it comes to stealing for gawds sake and this legalized method_ -gambling urgh-_ just gets right up my nose! At least_ I_ was old school.

_So why I am I tellin' you all this?_

Well that's where I'm standing right now believe it or not; gazing up disdainfully at the giant Mog shaped, hot pink entrance, with Cloud nearby rifling desperately through his pockets for his Gold Ticket. Some random items appeared out of his pockets in the course of his frantic search; a torn ticket stub for the 'Loveless' play, a crumpled photo of Tifa and Barret idling at the Seventh Heaven bar and, creepily, a pink lipstick. _What the heck could he have needed that for? _I firmly decided that I'd rather not know. Sometimes, ignorance was bliss.

The journey to Corel had been pretty uneventful. Cloud sulked abominably. He wouldn't speak a word to me and I wasn't gonna buckle first and break the silence. Corel's inhabitants were all tucked up asleep in their tents_ – How many years had it been since their village had been destroyed? In all that time they hadn't thought to REBUILD? Sheesh. –_ and didn't bat an eyelid as we passed through. The tram attendant just waved us sleepily on board with a giant yawn and I watched out the window as Corel dwindled to a speck on the horizon.

I did notice though, with a jolt as the Tram took off, a head pop out from behind the Tram Hut and scan the area. I briefly met the eyes of our Wutaian stalker who seemed to jump with surprise at being caught in the act of lurking. Feeling a surge of maliciousness, I'd flipped him the finger whilst waving cheerfully with my other hand as Cloud and I disappeared speedily into the clouds; making good our escape, as the saying goes. _What an idiot...that guy had to be the worst spy I'd ever seen. Was that the best dad could do?_

I yawned, moving over to where Cloud was still desperately searching for his Lifetime Ticket. The blonde attendant, wearing a scandalously short mini skirt, watched his struggle with blank interest; chewing gum open mouthed and glancing every now and then into the shiny surface of the wall to her right to check her reflection.

Eventually, and with obvious relief, Cloud located the much crumpled ticket and handed it over.

_Finally!_

"Thanks cutie!" The girl's eye lashes fluttered hypnotically; even I found myself blinking dazedly at her.

My eyes bulged and a vein throbbed hugely in my forehead when I noticed the vapid attendant slip a small card into Cloud's gloved hand as she handed back the ticket. A psychopathic urge to maim coursed through my veins with corrosively as I spotted the words _'Call Me'_ , a jumble of numbers and then a hastily scribbled name. Cloud gazed between her coyly smiling face and the card in confusion, flushing a little as he smiled awkwardly back at her.

"Uhm..."

"MOVE IT!" I shoved Cloud in the back insistently. "Got to go! Lots to see and do! No time to dawdle!" Unable to bear it any longer I snatched the card from Cloud's lax grasp and pushed him roughly through the entrance, waiting till he'd disappeared inside and out of earshot. Without warning I violently trampled on the foot of the attendant, who immediately crumpled in pain.

_Ah well...while I'm at it..._

"Hands off okay! He's _taken_!" _I'd always wanted to say that._ I spun dramatically on my heel and stormed the way Cloud had gone, leaving the girl wincing and looking murderously after me.

I caught up with Cloud in the Station where he was examining the directory; the electric screen throwing soft blue light across his frowning face. I was just about to ask what the hell we were doing here when a voice that I thought I'd never hear again _except perhaps in the worst kind of nightmares __boomed out a greeting from behind us_

I turned slowly, feeling decidedly ill, to meet a nightmarish vision of fake tan and bulging muscle.

_Oh Gods NO...ANYONE but him! Argh!_

* * *


	4. Bad Karma

**

* * *

**

**Eyes Wide Open**

_Chapter 4_

'Bad Karma'

* * *

Despite all the things I don't like in Gold Saucer there_ is_ one room that I do like and it's Dio's Show Room. 

Fortunately for me, that happened to be our first stop after Dio ambushed us at the directory; slinging a burly bulging arm around Cloud and me each and dragging us off without a chance to get a word in edgeways. Dio's trumpeting, exultant voice echoed unnecessarily loud all around and to my consternation the majority of Gold Saucer patrons turned to watch and guffaw at the strange six legged spectacle we made as we worked our way inexorably toward the Battle Square.

The sharp stab of humiliation was blunted slightly when Dio ushered us into his impressive show room and proceeded to give us an impromptu, guided tour. As always the Show Room came as much of a pleasure to me as a giant room full of lard might have seemed to a diet starved Palmer. It's cram-packed with old gadgets that _look_ like they should do something spectacular but _don't_ and assorted brick 'a' brack that has no real value but never fails to make my hands twitch all the same. Dio also has a varied collection of puzzle boxes, crystal balls, ancient weapons and even some rusty old armour that looks suspiciously like it came from my Grandfather's closet_…_**smells** like it came from my Grandfather's closet, anyhow.

There are a handful or so of really impressive things in the room though; objects that just seep importance and are _aching_ to be liberated, particularly via the pocket of a young Kunoichi! There's even a rusty old trophy with Dio's name engraved on the plaque displayed in a dusty cabinet, although it is the only one to my knowledge…and I forget what it was for.

At a guess: Freak of the year, most likely.

Following Dio and Cloud around the room without getting distracted proved difficult to say the least; I was in my element. If I hadn't been accompanied by a super strong, genetically enhanced ex-Sephiroth clone who I was trying to win favour with, it would have been the perfect opportunity to hone my somewhat rusty thieving skills. I was trying to make a good impression for Cloud's benefit after all…._I guess I'll just have to wait until Chocobo-Hair either isn't looking or not here! What he doesn't know won't hurt him after all, right? Out of sight, out of mind etc, heh heh._ Unfortunately Cloud seemed to have caught a whiff, no a goddamn _premonition,_ of what was going on in my mind and was one step ahead of me as usual.

_Damn MAKO enhancements!_

"Don't even _think_ about it." His voice came very quietly from behind me; full of significant warning.

I stiffened, my hand immediately freezing in the motion of reaching out to touch _– just touch, I swear! -_ an old wooden box that looked as if it had been clumsily encrusted with Materia shards. I snatched it back quickly with a piqued sigh. _I mean what's Dio gonna use it for anyways? Storing fake tan? Clip-on moustaches? Jeez..._ The man in question droned on ahead of us, gesturing hugely; oblivious to anything other than his ego and any trophies connected to said ego.

"Don't know whatcha talkin' 'bout, spike." I drawled casually and with a nonchalant shrug I turned away to examine a nearby glass prism with feigned interest. I could feel Cloud's eyes, laser-like with suspicion, burning a hole in the back of my head. With great difficulty I suppressed the urge to fidget, determined to maintain an attitude of innocent curiosity.

"Yuf_**fie**_…"

Urgh, the dreaded emphasis of the second syllable could mean only one thing; Cloud lecture.

_Is he getting paid to do this!_

Cloud's gloved hand clamped down my shoulder suddenly, creating a jolt of tension that curled through my stomach with distracting warmth. _There's that damn chemistry again…won't give it a rest for a second will it! _Swallowing the sudden knot in my throat with some difficulty I turned back to face to my interrogator, immediately meeting his eyes and wishing they weren't so suspicious and just, well, _knowing. Why's it so goddamn hard to fool him? No one else ever catches on the way he does…must have a klepto-radar concealed in his hair._

"If anything, I mean _anything-_" _Ugh__, please, spare me. _"-goes _missing_ I will not hesitate to-"

"MUCH as I love it when you talk tough Spike I really think we should pay attention, don't you?" With an exaggerated eye roll I brushed past him and meandered over to where Dio stood nearby with his back to us, blathering away obliviously; unaware that Cloud and I hadn't been listening to a single word he'd said since we'd entered the room.

"Hey - I'm _serious_!" Cloud hissed quietly; catching up with me quickly and grabbing my arm, twisting me quickly back round.

_Ugh…anythin' to SHUT him UP._

I sighed wearily, pursing my lips a little petulantly but willing to concede to his wishes on this occasion. "Okay, okay! I won't touch anythin', alright! Sheesh…" _Not while you're here anyways Cloud…I make no promises about later nyuk nyuk!_ I made sure to keep my crossed fingers well hidden behind my back and tried my best 'sincere' look which wasn't too accurate but seemed to placate him a little nonetheless. To emphasize my words I shoved my hands deep in my pockets where they could do no more harm. "See? I _promise_."

Cloud, knowing me as well as he did, didn't look too convinced.

"HO BOY! _Here_!" Dio suddenly hollered to Cloud, deafening us both as he all but frog-leapt to the next artifact on display. Cloud and I followed at a more normal pace, coming to stand either side of the mountain of tanned man-flesh. Every time I visit this place I _try_ to take the guy seriously but it's just so, _so _difficult for one very obvious, skimpy, pink reason.

"This is my latest prize!" Dio informed us in a jubilantly booming voice, moustache quivering with pride. I winced; noting Cloud grimace from Dio's other side, rubbing one ear gingerly. "A beaut' isn't she?"

"Um, yeah…" I muttered distractedly, eyeing Dio with not a little unease. Concentration was a chore when he insisted on posing triumphantly like that, looking immensely ludicrous. _Well, ludicrous goes without saying really, the crazy old coot always looks that way. Wonder if that's a voluntary thing, like, trying to act all eccentric for the visitors…if so he's failing __**badly**__. If he's anythin' then it's 'extremely disturbing'. No wonder I barely ever see any kids here…I wouldn't bring any child of mine to this place if I knew what thong clad monstrosity awaited them. _I occupied myself for a few moments imagining myself with a small child in tow and frowned. That was just…weird. _Okay, no more thinking about kids for AT LEAST another ten years… _

I blinked; my imagination had run away with me again. With a blush and no small amount of horror I realized that I'd been staring at Dio's mid-section for an incriminating amount of time. I hastily looked away, only to note that Cloud had been watching me with an expression of mingled bemusement and questioning across Dio's seemingly oblivious back, one brow arched speculatively

_Ahh! Caught staring at Dio's butt! Embarrassment factor 10! Urgh…_

He fixed me with a knowing little smile, a slight quirk of the lips; indicating Dio's backside with a slight, insinuating tilt of his head.

_How dare he!_

"It's not what it looks like!" I insisted vehemently, reddening. "His thong has, like, hypnotic powers! You were lookin' too Chocobo butt, don't even_ try _to deny it!" I hissed, pointing an accusatory finger. Cloud merely shrugged and straightened, indifferent. _Dammit._

"What's this then girly girl?" I gulped, finding Dio's dark eyes suddenly upon me, deeply intrigued. My little outburst had, impossibly, drawn his attention from his treasure hoard and into a more embarrassing direction. Cloud pretended not to notice my predicament and turned to feign interest in a ruby studded gauntlet, callously abandoning me to verbal floundering. "Lookin' at _what_ might I ask?" Dio's moustache bristled inquiringly.

"Uhrm…nothin'…" I muttered evasively, eyes darting about for an escape route. "NO looking or peeping or staring at your …err… nothin' like that! Uh uh!" I shook my head a little too quickly, eyes tellingly wide in my face. "I was just ah-" I gestured blankly for a moment, distracted by a pitying look from Cloud. "I was just uh, nothin', _nope_ no lookin'! Particularly not at uhm, your….ah-"

"_Yeeeees?"_

"Erhm…" _Gawd this is embarrassing! Think Yuffie, THINK gawddammit! _

"It's my prize!" Dio hollered abruptly into a silence that had become thickly saturated with my mortification, his voice thick with pride. I gawped, wondering what the hell he was on about. "I don't blame you for staring girly, it's all I can do some days not to just sit and stare at it for hours on end!" Dio finished this cryptic babble with a flourish about waist-level and I immediately felt indescribably ill and more than a little faint.

"Like I said, a beaut!" He suddenly held out a twinkling gold ring that caught the light and glittered appealingly. I felt intensely relieved to see it. _THANK LEVIATHAN! _I sighed explosively and forced out a weak smile. _A ring…not…phew-wee…heh._

Feeling oddly violated all the same I held out my hand automatically and was surprised when Dio simply dropped the ring into my palm without a second thought. Cloud immediately tensed behind Dio, blue eyes narrowed upon me watchfully. I rolled my eyes at him. _Yeah, like I'm going to just run out with it in a Casino full of Dio's armed cronies. Intelligent deduction Cloud, sheesh... _Brightening, I examined the trinket closely. It was a pretty, plain Mythril band that wound into two dragon heads at either end, their jaws holding a blue jem-stone, fat and multi-faceted, in place at the centre.

"Does it do anythin'?"

"Does it do anything!" Dio parroted, guffawing like I'd just told the world's funniest anecdote. "'COURSE it does!" I winced, certain my brain was bleeding slowly out of my ears. "Not entirely sure exactly _what_… but still, I'll find out one of these days! Suffice to say it's rare AND much, _much_ more potent and powerful than your average ring! Ho ho!"

The words 'rare' and 'powerful' did bad things to my psyche, filling my head with disastrous thoughts of glorified and undiscovered theft. As was the case with most unique or above average weapons and Materia I just HAD to HAVE it of course. _And the sooner the better._ A nice little addition to what might eventually become a sizeable Mythril collection._ Who knew…perhaps Mythril would become the new Materia! Ha!_ _I could become some kind of trendsetter and rake in the moolah!_ I glanced down at the ring on my finger that I'd rescued the day before on the Corel train track and smirked. Plastering an innocent smile over my face I quickly focused my attention back on Dio, noting out of the corner of my eye that Cloud had finally relaxed a little behind him and was no longer shooting me death glares.

"It's a pretty neat ring." I agreed, dropping it cheerfully back into Dio's ham-like fist. _Be seein' ya later._

"A FANTASTIC find! And all thanks to Strife here, ho ho ho!" I nodded absently as Dio thumped Cloud's back with punishing enthusiasm. Cloud staggered a few steps under the impact, wheezing, and, taking pity, I resisted the urge to nab a few things whilst his attention was elsewhere. _W__ell…I did __**promise**__ after all._

"Heeeey, wait a sec…" I blinked blank faced for a moment, something suddenly clicking mentally into place. "Cloud…Spike, you _found _this?" I blinked at him blankly. He refused to look at me, arms folded defensively across his chest and looking none too pleased about my discovery. _Is this what you didn't want me to know? But…but why?_ "Why? What's in it for you anyways? Why would you do something like that, eh?"

"Why wouldn't he!" Dio answered for him in a gleeful bellow, clapping a hand on Cloud's shoulder once more; the latter looking slightly pained. "Adventure, mystery, _danger-"_ He paused, pumping the air with one abnormally large fist for emphasis, grinning like a lunatic. "-excitement of the job! Isn't that payment enough for any enterprising young lad?"

"I guess…" I agreed reluctantly, glancing in-between the ring enclosed in Dio's gargantuan fist and Cloud's grim expression, powerfully intrigued. _Hm…this warrants intensive Kisaragi investigation, I think. _

_What the heck was Dio on about with that 'adventure-mystery-danger' propaganda crap he was feeding me anyways?! Maybe it's attractive to some stupid, clueless imbecile but anyone with brains wouldn't just risk life and limb searching for valuable artifacts for some trumped up geezer, with an ego the size of the North Crater and as many brain cells as he had eyebrows I might add, WITHOUT expecting SOME kind of payment in return._ I snorted incredulously. _So, at some point since the culmination of AVALANCHE Cloud had become Dio's personal errand-boy-treasure-hunter... _I chewed my bottom lip thoughtfully and shrewdly eyed the MAKO enhanced man in question, where he brooded beside Dio's enthusiastically babbling frame._ …Interesting choice Cloud. But why, eh? __I'll investigate this later, sometime when I can catch Spike unawares and force him to spill his innermost secrets! _

The fact that I hadn't been successful in this endeavor thus far and had only found out about where we were going by pure deviousness didn't seem to dampen my spirits any.

_Well, I guess it's a good thing I happen to like a challenge._

"Well come youngsters!" Dio whooped with enthusiasm, abruptly banishing the subject of Cloud's professional capacity. Oblivious to my death glare at being referred to as a 'youngster', Dio swept Cloud and I swiftly out of the room, clutching us tightly to him either side. "The Gold Saucer awaits! Now I command you - Go forth and have _FUN_!"

* * *

After we'd checked into the Ghost Hotel I managed to coerce Cloud onto the tram, after persistent and expert wheedling. He went along with my plans, albeit reluctantly, pausing in his maudlin brooding to shoot bemused looks at me askance and shake his head slightly at my excitement. 

"Woo! This fricken' _rocks_!!!" Leaning dangerously far out of the tram window my eyes were glued excitedly upon the dazzling fireworks display in the distance; jets of multicolored light exploded attractively in spectacular bursts of rainbow flare. Flickering sparks drifted like a slow snowfall of stars all around and threw a soft pink and gold glow over our little tram as it bobbed slowly along. "I've always wanted to ride this thing."

I'd missed the opportunity to ride the tram on our first Gold Saucer visit when Cid had insisted on dragging Barret and me off to the Rocket Square in a desperate attempt to complete his 1/35 Soldier collection. The others, unlike poor oblivious Barret and me, had wisely vacated the hotel when they'd noted Cid relentlessly chain smoking with that glazed, tell-tale look in his eyes. The only other time I'd witnessed such a display of ruthless and single-minded resolve from Cid had been whilst fighting Sephiroth and drinking tea. It had taken no less than 5 tranquilizers to settle my rattled stomach after that excursion. I'd spent the remainder of the night with my head in the toilet bowl, dry heaving and damning Cid Highwind with as many curse words available in my verbal arsenal. This time however, there was no Cid Highwind and Cloud thankfully did not have a similar obsession with collecting toy soldiers. He wasn't the best conversationalist but then that was just inherently a part of Cloud and so I didn't mind so much.

Sighing at the glittering view I tucked my chin in one hand, smiling happily to myself. Silence from Cloud somewhere behind. I frowned slightly, eyes flickering briefly across my shoulder to where he sat; moody and silent and twisting something in his hands. _Well, he could at least agree…or nod, or somethin'...useless lump._

Unconsciously I bit my lip, my frown deepening into a scowl as I continued to eye him sneakily.

_Hells…can't he cheer up for more than 5 minutes at a time? _

_He was fine when we got on this rickety piece of crap…what's there to be miserable about anyways, eh? _

_On a date with a gorgeous girl like me, fireworks, stars, romance yada yada yada, all that jazz…and still he manages to find something to gripe about. Grr…!_

"Aeris seemed to like it up here too." Cloud's voice, quietly reflective, floated up from behind me.

I tensed halfway through turning back to the firework display.

And silently, I panicked.

I couldn't recall him ever attempting to speak about Aeris, let alone mention her name, after Holy had ass kicked Meteor and we'd all skipped morosely off to rebuild Midgar. In fact this was quite probably the first time he'd spoken **at all** about her since_…oh crud…_

_I mean, I know I'm pretty amazing and all but really, even I can admit I'm not the most sympathetic person. My tongue always got tied in knots when I'd tried to sympathize with anyone in the past._ …_and Cloud chooses __**me **__of all people to talk to?_

_I guess I should feel comforted by that…? _

……_right?_

"I-I…uhm..." I turned away from the window finally, hands clasped about my arms and feeling incredibly awkward and uncomfortable. "Cloud…?" _Oh, man…of all the times for your mind to go blank! _

He noted my discomfited stance and grimaced, waving me off absently. "It's okay Yuffs, forge-"

"NO! I uh…" I bit my lip, settling slowly down onto the seat beside him but continuing to fidget anxiously. "…I want to. Talk I mean. We all miss her, you know…it's just, you never wanted to talk about her before and…it kinda sucked… I'm just a bit surprised is all."

Cloud's jaw tightened a little as he looked away without replying.

_Wait a go Yuffs…_

I suddenly noticed then, with a sickening lurch in my stomach, what he'd been twisting in his hands all the while. A tattered pink ribbon.

... _Holy crap…_

Mouth agape, I gazed from his distracted face and back down to the ribbon clutched laxly in his gloved hand, as realization slowly came to me.

_Aeris' ribbon…where had he got that? A memento of some kind?_

_Cloud…_

A dead weight seemed to plunge down into my stomach, churning there unpleasantly.

_Oh gawd, oh gawd…hells, it was a baaaad idea comin' here…how could I have been so stupid? _

_Cloud and Aeris had come here, after all, on their one and only date…_

And I **knew** that!_ It had just conveniently slipped my mind… _

_Aeris had told Tifa and me all about it in delicate, smiling detail…I remembered quite clearly how I had seethed with envy at the time…and yet stupidly I brought Cloud here myself, thinking it'd be just sooo romantic. Sheesh…no wonder he's thinking about Aeris!_ I shivered, clutching my arms tightly and staring blank faced at the opposite wall.

"You cold…?" Cloud's hand touched my shoulder questioningly. The thrill of contact shot through me all over again but this time it was mixed conflictingly with some grim realities.

_Does he love her?! I can't think straight…why can't I think straight? _

_Because he's probably in love with her DAMMIT!_

"Yeah, no…I…" I shut my eyes tight and turned away slightly, unable to meet his gaze. "I dunno..."

_Leviathan's ass…when did I turn into such a WUSS? This is __**not**__ the Kisaragi way!_

I started slightly when I felt Cloud drape his jacket gently over my narrow shoulders, his hands lingering there a moment; a heavy and solid warmth. Slowly I turned to look up at him, eyes searching his. I felt like I should say something but I didn't know what. All my reassurances and sympathies seemed clumsy and inept on my tongue. I tried anyway.

"I think…" I swallowed. "Aeris would want you to be happy Spike. Are you…happy?" I murmured tentatively, shivering slightly and not entirely from cold.

Cloud didn't answer me. His eyes were fixed determinedly on the opposite wall, his jaw taut with whatever tense thoughts were bouncing around inside that cryptic head of his. He sighed finally and his eyes slid slowly away from the wall to my wide, expectant ones. They were jaded and slightly bitter, giving off a faint luminescence in the dim half-light of the tram. His mouth quirked up at one side in a mirthless, lopsided smile and he reached out and tousled my hair playfully, brushing aside my unanswered question as if it were some insubstantial nuisance and no more. I bristled defensively, deliberately shrugging his hand off along with his jacket and stomping to the opposite side of the tram, slumping heavily onto the bench there.

"…what's wrong _now_?" A sigh.

"Forget it." I muttered, scowling a little at my feet. "It's just…I get upset thinkin' about Aeris sometimes…" I was determined not to let the subject go. _Spike had started it after all, so he could damn well finish it too!_ "I just keep wonderin' if maybe there had been another way, you know, so she wouldn't have had to go sacrifice herself like that. She was a good person…a good friend. She deserved better."

_And then you and she could have lived happily ever after, Cloud. The end. _

Cloud 'hm'ed' grudgingly, turning to gaze solemnly out of the window where fireworks were still showering the rest of the Gold Saucer attractions with rainbow sparks in the distance. His body language practically screamed _'I do NOT want to be having this conversation with you.'_ "I always felt I didn't appreciate her enough…I didn't realize until after…" He sighed heavily as he glanced back over at me; hunched and sullen on the other side of the tram. "I wasn't a very good bodyguard either, in the end-"

"You were a good friend." I bit out, a little too bluntly.

Cloud merely gazed at me wordlessly, his expression carefully blanked.

I stuck my hands roughly into my pockets, discovering the Chakra Materia there with a little surprise_. I'd forgotten about it at the prospect of a 'date' with Cloud I guess…_ I thought sourly and clutched it tightly. The cool solid weight of the Materia seemed to bring me some small comfort. _Well…at least I'll always have Materia. _I rolled it back and forth from one palm to the other, absently, gazing grimly out of the window.

"You really gotta stop beatin' yourself up about the past Spike…" I said slowly, frowning into the distance where a single firework burst into a glowing dome of green and gold light. "What's done is done, no matter how hard you might wanna change things you just _can't_, okay. It's the cruel, simple truth of life. And you just gotta accept it." _A little blunt maybe, but I felt it was probably the most intelligent and meaningful thing I'd said all evening. Well, ever. It's not like I have conversations like this often._

Cloud didn't seem to agree. He shook his head, frowning down at where his gloved, half clenched hands lay lax in his lap. "I was messed up, made things worse. I did some _stupid_ things…" _Join the rest of the World's population Cloud. Leviathan…is he even listenin' to himself? _"If I hadn't been so goddamn _weak_! I just-"

"Cloud Strife!" I shot up off the seat, furious, unable to stand anymore of his self-pitying.

_NO WAY_ _am I about to let this become one of those situations where I become some pathetic little accomplice to his self-loathing. You've gotta face reality sooner or later for gawds sake Cloud! And you need to fricken' move on already! _With this running through my head I leant over him, jabbing one finger into his startled face as I spoke, satisfied when he jumped with surprise and apprehension. His blue eyes were very wide and clear for a moment but all the same I couldn't read any of his thoughts in them.

"I'll tell you now you chocobo-brained jerk, I am _not_ gonna sit here and listen to you try to convince yourself _and me_ that you're some worthless loser or _whatever_…because you're just not, okay!" Another jab in the forehead; he flinched. "So just do us all a favour and get over yourself will you?" I was surprised to find myself breathing heavily, it had all come out a little fiercer than I'd intended. Somehow I knew I'd crossed a line I shouldn't have. The Chakra Materia was clenched painfully tight in a white knuckled grip at my side.

"You think it's that easy!" Cloud demanded just as hotly, on his feet now and uncomfortably close. His anger seemed to burn all the more furiously against his usual indifference. His blue eyes were unnervingly near all of a sudden, bright and fiercely blue. I swallowed and straightened up, my eyes narrowing, determined not to back down from this one.

_This isn't the way it was supposed to be…so much for romance…_

"It's easy for you to forgive yourself and forget the past isn't it _Yuffie_?" Cloud ground out between clenched teeth, hands coming up. For a moment I thought he intended to push me but they caught my shoulders in a vice-like grip, shaking me slightly as he spoke. My teeth rattled in my jaw. "You've done nothing worse than stolen a few things here and there, you haven't seen or committed even _half_ the horrors I have…hell, you wouldn't even be able to _imagine _some of the things I've done…" His grip faltered and he released me. "And you stand there and lecture me like it's as easy as switching a light on and off….you don't _understand_!" The last word sounded broken as he spoke it.

"Maybe so!" I shouted back just as angrily, jaw clenching. I pushed him roughly, suddenly more angry than I could ever remember feeling. The tram shook slightly with the force of it and Cloud nearly lost his balance, barely managing to grip the window ledge and keep himself upright. I scowled darkly as a few things suddenly clicked sharply into place; the sudden realization was like swallowing a heavy, bitter tasting pill. "Wait…so _this_ is why you're doing these jobs for Dio is it? Are you trying to _kill _yourself or somethin'? Is that it? That's _pathetic _Cloud and frankly I expected better from _you_!

_Damn stubborn bastard!_

Cloud looked like he very much wanted to grab me and shake me till my head fell off. "It's not like that! You don't _understand_-"

"You keep sayin' that!" I interrupted, my voice sounding flinty and foreign in my own ears. "I don't think it's as complicated as you seem to think!" That seemed to shut him up, or surprise him or both. His expression was a little glazed either way. "You've been wallowing in self-loathing and guilt since Meteor, am I right? Feeling all worthless and crap…bet you blame yourself for Aeris too, right? …Oh gimme a break, it's so fricken' predictable! So you've been takin' up these incredibly dangerous jobs on the off chance you might find somethin' that can actually kill you, is _that_ it? Too scared to do it yourself?"

"You don't know anything!" He snapped, hands fisting at his sides as he suddenly loomed threateningly over me. I'd only ever seen him this angry around Sephiroth and honestly I was a little afraid but I continued on, regardless. Some might call me _brave_, others _stupid_.

"But I do _care_ you stupid, thick-headed moron! And I don't forget either!" I pushed him again, barely registering his shocked and confused face as he stumbled, the backs of his legs hitting the edge of the seat with the force of it. I continued to advance down on him with my furious tirade. "I haven't forgotten the way you kept us all together when times were tough and we were all scared shitless and the only thing keepin' us goin' was you being strong for us all, making us believe in ourselves, remindin' us all again and again of what Aeris had done and made possible for us! What was at stake! We'd never have made it to that crater without you, you -_you jerk_!"

Another push, this time though he managed to grab my wrists and all I could do was struggle fiercely and futilely in his grasp, my right hand still tightly closed about the Materia. The tram lurched too and fro and, locked together, we stumbled back with the rocking motion, straining to keep our balance.

"And you wonder _why_ I get so bloody angry when you start feelin' sorry for yourself and goin' on about how you could have done more….you did _enough_! You did as much as you could! Same as the rest of us! Can't you understand _that_!" I was clutching the Materia so tightly now I could feel my nails biting into my palm sharply even through my gloves. "Why you gotta analyze life so much Spike? Why can't you just enjoy it…?"

_And…_

_I just __**wish**__ there was some way you could love me…_

With the majority of my anger vented I felt weakened all of a sudden but Cloud's grip about my wrists somehow kept me on my feet. The rocking of the tram had thrown us closer together as we'd tried to keep our balance. I hadn't noticed just how close until I was no longer screaming my lungs out at him. I was still angry as hell but coupled with that was a feeling of apprehensiveness and sudden awkwardness at our proximity.

Cloud looked like he wanted to say something, glaring down at me, gloved hands painfully tight about my wrists.

Whatever he'd been about to say I would never know. At that moment the tram gave a tremendous lurch as it came to a clumsy halt, throwing us both violently together, scrabbling for balance and crushed up against one wall. My mind went strangely numb as I noted, in a dim haze, that somehow, _impossibly_, our lips were pressed clumsily together, Cloud's eyes staring wildly into mine in partial shock and some unvoiced dismay that I'm sure was reflected in my own…minus the dismay.

It wasn't a kiss, not by a long shot.

Even a huge dufus like me knows a kiss is something that is _intentional_ and in most cases mutually desired….this…this was…I don't know. Accidental. Unexpected. Our faces had simply been too close when the tram had come to a violent halt. There was nothing more to it than that. The sudden jolt had thrown us together, resulting in a clumsy, involuntary meshing of lips; noses bumping painfully as we fell back against the tram bench in an undignified heap.

Cloud's lips brushed gently, unintentionally, across mine as he somehow managed to come back to himself and pull away. He didn't move far however, face mere inches from my own and blue eyes fixed wide and unblinking upon my own startled gaze. His hands had moved to my shoulders at some point, squeezing uncomfortably tight. I couldn't have moved even if I _had_ somehow regained control of my body once more. I could only stare up unblinkingly into Cloud's eyes; our quick, nervous breaths intermingling in the tensely charged silence.

_I-I can't even remember what we were arguing about….oh hells… _

If my mind felt like someone had insulated it clumsily with confetti I wondered what Cloud felt, what he would do. _Would he go all weird and withdrawn on me? Be grossed out? Shout, glare, push me away…or maybe he'd kiss me properly, like he'd promised so flippantly the other night…_ Suddenly the later seemed frighteningly feasible to me as I examined the complicated look on his face, lips slightly parted, blue eyes wide and full of an odd kind of light that somehow had nothing to do with MAKO. There was something between us now that definitely hadn't been there before; some giant elephantine development that had stomped into our friendship, refusing to be ignored.

_How can I describe it…_

It was as if he were seeing me in some new light, as if for the first time; as though he'd been smacked over the head with some sort of epiphany, some _clarity_. The scrutiny was so intense I could barely stand it. I noticed distantly that I was trembling. And Cloud seemed to be getting closer and closer, _too close. _I couldn't back up anymore, pressed right down upon the bench as I was and going nowhere soon. His grasp hadn't weakened in the slightest and I squirmed a little, attempting to find some space that simply did not exist.

"Yuffie…"

I tensed, his breath ghosting across my half parted lips, hovering there almost hesitantly as if asking for permission. I didn't dare move a muscle, both afraid that he'd move away or that he'd come closer. The anger was a distant thing now, hovering uncertainly in the background, overtaken with a mixture of confusion and a vague disbelief that this could really be happening.

Time seemed to be moving painfully slow as Cloud haltingly closed the remaining distance between us and, with only a moments hesitation, pressed his mouth lingering against mine, his gloved fingers grazing gently across my cheekbones, my temples and into my hair. Helplessly, I shivered and melted into the sensation. Wondering distantly if the apocalypse had come and Hojo would suddenly pop up out of nowhere and inform us we were unknowing participants in one of his ethically challenged experiments. I decided I didn't care, closed my eyes and kissed Cloud back.

_Birds singing, sunshine, rainbows, clumsy butterflies flopping around in my stomach… a dozen ridiculous clichés all at once. _

_Well, what do ya know Yuffs - you're a hopeless romantic! _

_Shut UP, brain._

Cloud was the one pull back but not by much, a questioning shadowing his eyes as he gazed at me wordlessly.

I felt a nervous grin break slowly across my face. "Ha…" I couldn't seem to verbally coordinate anything more coherent than that.

Cloud's mouth immediately tilted up in that little half-smile of his, eyes alight in a way I'd never seen them before and-

"AHEM."

_Oh, you gotta be kiddin' me...!_

The tram attendant was glaring at us meaningfully, an angry, semi-embarrassed flush on her cheeks. And suddenly I remembered why the tram had stopped in the first place; the ride had finished. A half a dozen people were queued up behind the attendant, obviously intent on using the tram but now staring with open curiosity and with no small amount of snickering at the odd picture Cloud and I must have made; latched onto one another in a tangled heap of limbs, interrupted in the middle of…

_Oh for Gawds sake…!_

"WHAT! You never seen two people KISS before!" I bristled, fists bunching at my sides and feeling distinctly satisfied when the group of nosy onlookers took a collective step back, wary muttering rippling through the crowd.

I glanced back at Cloud and my nerve faltered.

"I...uh-" Cloud was blinking slowly as if waking from a deep sleep. When he finally seemed to come to himself, he looked both embarrassed and…I didn't have a name for the complicated look on his face. I'd seen it a few times before but its nature remained just as elusive to me. I gazed up into Cloud's eyes desperately, searching for any hint of that clarity I'd seen there only a few moments before_…come on come on please… _but they were a controlled, guarded blue once more. His gaze flickered from the people crowded outside the tram back to my eyes and then, unexpectedly, down to my lips. He flushed and looked away; the ground, the wall, _anywhere_ but my face. He got to his feet rather hastily and inelegantly then, looking extremely uncomfortable. I slumped limply back onto the bench with a frustrated sigh, arms dangling.

_GOD DAMMIT! WHY!_

"Look I hate to break up…whatever…this is….but this is a _public_ attraction so would you please move along now an- _h-hey_!" The tram attendant squawked indignantly as Cloud brushed brusquely past her and shouldered his way roughly through the small, muttering crowd. I watched him make his escape though the main gate without a backward glance. Anger pounded in my veins and temples, disappointment clawing at my insides unpleasantly. _Damn him…avoidant as usual._ I bit my bottom lip, trying to get a hold on this anger, my fist clenched tight at my side around…

I gasped; eyes wide and disbelieving as I slowly raised my clenched fist and opened my palm to reveal-

_No…no way …._

…_..but…that wish…before…._

…_..b-but it can't have been…!_

…_nononononoNO!_

The Chakra Materia glittered innocently up at me and my heart sank with a kind of leaden dread.

_Oh Gawd…what have I done! _

_WHAT HAVE I DONE?!_

* * *

Guilt's a horrible thing really, the way it eats you up inside. It's a new experience for me, guilt. And I can't really say I'm savoring this featureless ache in my chest and the dull remorseful buzzing in my brain, gnawing away at the edges of my thoughts. They refuse to correlate, my thoughts; brushing past each other and away, leaving me grasping weakly for a solution to this sudden…_but, in some dark part of me, not entirely unwanted_…development. 

_Oh hell…Cloud…_

_It can't be true…it just CAN'T…_

Again, with a wince, I remembered the scene with perfect clarity; how I was still clenching that damn Materia in my fist when I'd made that stupid, thoughtless wish…

'_I just __**wish**__ there was someway you could love me'_

…all my attention, all my will and emotion had been focused entirely on Cloud at that moment…if the spell really had been cast there'd be no way it could have been misdirected, mis-cast. Impossible. And then…as though fate had decided to intervene; the jolt of the tram forcing us together and…that halting kiss.

_You…STUPID__** IDIOT**__ YUFFIE!_

The more I thought about it the more unlikely it all seemed now; Cloud acting so impulsively, feeling instead analyzing things to death for a change. Particularly where I was concerned. Without the showers of fireworks in the distance and the soft, pulsing golden light cast into the darkened tram it felt very much as if it were simply another concoction of my over-active imagination. The light seemed to change everything, make reality softer, more pliant…like a dream.

_That's all it should have been really: a dream._

_But it DID happen. He kissed me!_

_And all because of that damned Materia… I should have thrown it away when I had the chance!_

_But I didn't did I? So what does that say about me, huh? _

_NOTHING good._

Now, the light overhead was harsh and artificial; glaring neon that made my head pound and chased away any trace of that dreamlike ambience. I kicked a piece of litter angrily as I walked, glancing sourly around at my surroundings; somehow I'd wandered my way into Battle Square after escaping Wonder square and it's horde of curious witnesses. Thankfully there were only a few determined people still milling about at this late hour, trying to build up the courage to take on the battle arena no doubt. I snorted, watching one guy pace to and fro in front of the huge intimidating dungeon door; twiddling his thumbs, muttering to himself, squaring his shoulders…

_What the heck!_

My eyes narrowed, fixed intently upon a person just behind him, obviously trying to blend in but doing a completely shoddy job of it. I tensed, muscles bunching, as I recognized him finally.

_GREAT. Just what I need right now. Grraugh, fate sure seems to have it in for me today…_

_Goddammit why won't he just give it a REST! Gah!_

Our 'Ninja stalker' from Corel loitered near the reception desk, making idle chat with the receptionist and trying to look as though he hadn't just jumped out of a trashy spy novel without a parachute. His disguise might have worked more in his favour more if he'd thought to lower the scarf covering the lower half of his face and disposed of his dark clothing for something looser, drabber. The giant sombrero and poncho he'd donned at some point didn't help either, just left him looking completely absurd. _Is THAT what he thinks non-Wutaians WEAR?! Where had this bozo been all his life?! Under a fricken' ROCK?!_

_This guy…hopeless..._

I sighed heavily, shoulders slumping; unsure if I could bring myself to beat the crap out of him like I'd promised Cloud back in Corel. _He's not even worth the effort…pathetic._ Despite my reluctance I knew it'd be worse if Cloud stumbled across him first and got even more awkward and difficult than he was already being….all thanks to moi of course.

_How can I forget…_I thought glumly; feeling the light, hated weight of the chakra Materia through my pocket.

Besides, he'd seen me now. Just a quick flash of dark, intent eyes sliding over me and away. I scowled, fisting my hands at my sides as I marched determinedly up toward him, my mind made up.

_Okay, gonna end this nonsense right now!_

"YOU!" I snarled, grabbing a handful of his poncho at the shoulder, my other fist swinging round with deadly purpose. Where I'd expected to feel the flesh and bone of his nose crunching satisfyingly under my knuckles I was shocked to find myself swiping thin air instead, the poncho hanging heavily from my other hand; empty.

I blinked.

…_where the heck did he go!?_

I didn't have time to wonder what the hell had just happened; a booted foot slammed with punishing force into my lower back, sending me sprawling forward toward the steps leading up to the Battle Arena. I administered a nimble roll, narrowly managing to avoid having my face battered into the ground. I came quickly to my feet, furious. Fortunately, it hadn't hurt too badly; my ego was more bruised from being taken off guard.

_The great Yuffie Kisaragi caught unawares? Even worse…back attack! How am I ever going to live this down…!_

_OKAY, simple Yuffs…just dispose of ALL witnesses and NEVER mention it again. _

_Good, I like that._

I turned, gazing with narrowed, appraising eyes to where my opponent stood; posture misleadingly casual and relaxed as he leant, arms folded, against the tube entrance leading to the main Station. I could see the subtle play of wiry muscle through the dark fabric of his clothing. The watchfulness in his dark, slanted eyes told me he was nothing but ready, waiting for my next move. The few people who had been in the arena had taken shelter with the receptionist behind her desk and were watching us with wide, frightened eyes.

_Well, I won't underestimate you again mister. _

"That was just a lucky shot ya know." I ground out; anger flaring along with my bruised pride. "I suggest you make reservations at the local clinic because your ass is TOAST!"

"Hmph." The semi concealed face remained impassive, save for one dark brow arching cynically; as if to say; 'Oh _really_?'. "Lord Godo mentioned that you were all…talk." He murmured in bemused sounding Wutaian; his slight accent puzzling. "I see he spoke the truth. You are just as I expected Princess Kisaragi."

"I don't give a damn what you expected, whoever the hell you are. As for me, I _expected _you all to just leave me the hell alone but you can't even do that can you!" I spat, my fists clenching and unclenching impatiently at my sides. "As for my father…don't even mention that cretin to my face again! I'd disown him in a heartbeat."

My opponent tipped his head back and let out a surprised, musical laugh. His callous eyes glittered appreciatively at me. "Forget what I said a moment ago -you are _better _than I expected." His face remained aloofly mocking, turning this seeming compliment into an insult. "I think I will enjoy _taming_ you."

"Huh! We'll see who does the taming bozo!" Smirking, I reached over my back for my Shuriken and then blinked, hand grasping urgently at thin air. _Dammit…!_ With a sinking feeling, I remembered I'd left it back in the hotel room along with most of my best Materia. _Yuffie you are officially an IDIOT. Gwah. _Glancing down worriedly at my bangle slots I saw all I had was a low level 'Restore', a mastered 'Steal' and a semi-leveled 'Bolt' Materia. "Dammit..."

_Great…just…just PERFECT. _

_Argh…well, hand to hand combat it is. _

_I can still kick his ass into the ground!_

Throwing away all formalities of battle I whirled without warning into attack with a lethal spin kick. Again, annoyingly, his head wasn't there when my foot landed; he'd ducked nimbly as it swung round, simultaneously counter-attacking with a fist intended for my stomach. But I was expecting it this time and managed a quick, clumsy block and a back flip, my heel glancing him a punishing blow to the jaw for his trouble. _Ha…now we're EVEN._ I crouched low again.

_I'd better watch my step with this guy. _I thought, eying him intently._ He may be lacking in subtlety but he's got a few moves…_

My opponent had adopted a similar stance to mine, swiping irritably at his bottom lip; now puckered and bleeding. His scarf had slipped down in the scuffle revealing a surprisingly youthful face, his generic Wutaian features twisted unattractively with anger. His slanted eyes flashed liquid ebony, dark and dangerous. I'd been a fool judging him on outward appearance alone; He definitely wouldn't be winning any awards anytime soon for his spying technique but he clearly had some combat skills.

_Of course, he couldn't be anywhere near as good as me._

"You WILL return to Wutai, Princess Kisaragi! There is no use in persisting in _this_!" He insisted gruffly now in the universal language, his words hampered by his heavy Wutaian accent. Clearly he was unused to speaking in Common. And clearly he was also used to getting his own way. I was beginning to get a clearer idea of him; he had a certain casual arrogance that I recognized from my childhood. I'd known his kind before; sons of my father's friends who thought the sun shone out of their asses and that it was a downright privilege to serve them.

_I'll serve-, _I thought with a vicious smile_, -I'll serve his pummeled ass on a silver platter, the arrogant bastard!_

"I don't think so!" I retorted with an answering glare and moved quickly to my feet, determined to use the distance between us to my advantage. With a small, complicated gesture the air all around was suddenly crackling with electricity, invisible pressure building quickly into deadly bolts of lightning that writhed and spat. "Bolt 2!" I shouted triumphantly, feeling the intense adrenaline surge of power through my body as the giant triad of lightning bolts descended upon him with deadly purpose.

The Ninja watched the spell with a small frown creasing his brow, more out of irritation than worry I was annoyed to see. Lightning engulfed him in a glaring, lethal arc of hot white light, momentarily blinding. Even some distance away I could feel my hair bristling from the static. Squinting, I watched as the light cleared away almost as quickly as it had come… leaving the Ninja undamaged and smirking slightly in its wake.

My jaw dropped.

_What the…that makes no SENSE!_

_Oh…_

Lifting one gloved hand he idly tapped an intricately carved armlet bound upon his wrist, smirking infuriatingly.

_That bangle must have a nullifying effect. _

_Gawd this guy's annoying!_

"Give up now Lady Kisaragi and I promise to make the trip home as comfortable as possible. It is your choice how we return to Wutai; as friends or enemies." He eyed me sidelong and haughtily from his superior height, idly brushing dust away from the heavy cuffs of his sleeves.

"Who the heck do you think you are?! Ordering me about!" I raged, jutting my chin out disdainfully as I raised my clenched fists. "You wouldn't even make a half decent enemy let alone a half decent _friend_. I want nothing from an incompetent, amateurish jackass like you!"

"Why…you!" He spluttered, his body stiffening and his lean face reddening with incoherent fury. "How dare you!"

"Whatsamatter?! No one ever mentioned your obvious incompetence to your face before?" I laughed scornfully. "Don't tell me, I know your sort - you're some pampered son of a clansman, am I right? Worshipped since birth and no one's ever so much as raised their voice at you, eh?!" My eyes narrowed. "Well, sorry to burst your little egotistical bubble_ chump_ but I have no such social graces! I say what I mean and I mean what I say! You're a lousy excuse for a warrior! Frankly I'm ashamed to call you my countryman!"

My words had the desired effect; my opponent gave an inarticulate roar of rage and went on the offensive. I figured anger might make him clumsy. I misjudged his agility however; as I blocked his furious combo of punches, he managed to land a breath-wheezing blow low to my gut. I coughed and half rolled, half scrabbled away from him to a more respectable distance in order to catch my breath back.

"Surrender to me." The ninja entreated in a deceptively pleasant voice. "Let us end this now before you get _too_ badly hurt." He smiled a thin lipped, condescending smile as he eyed my hand where it clutched at my bruised ribs with a meaningfully raised eyebrow.

"Oh YEAH?!" I snarled, hands moving quickly to my pockets. "Let's see how you like THESE! Ha!" I spun quickly on one heel, lashing out with tiny throwing stars, small but deadly when my aim is accurate. His dark, almond shaped eyes widened slightly as they spun toward him; razor sharp metal that flashed silver when it caught the light.

By the look on his face he obviously hadn't been anticipating this kind of attack, had probably assumed I was weapon-less…and stupid too possibly if he'd had his sole description of me from Godo. _BIIIIG mistake!_ I watched as he managed what looked like a clumsy, one handed cartwheel; narrowly avoiding the first of the two stars I'd thrown. He wasn't quick enough for the second however. I watched triumphantly as it struck him a stunning gash over his right eye, sending him spinning and slamming roughly into the wall behind. His forehead smacked loudly upon impact and with a muttered curse he slid limply down to his knees.

"That'll teach ya to mess with the infamous Yuffie Kisaragi!" I crowed. "Had enough yet?!"

A grunt of pain was my answer.

I approached him slowly yet warily. He was all but defeated but I didn't trust him as far as I could throw him.

The Ninja stumbled a little as he tried to stand upright, one hand clumsily attempting to swipe the blood away at his temple but only succeeding in smearing it more. I knew how it felt being hit by one of those; hazy memories of days back in Wutai training with my old Sensei sprung quickly to mind. I winced at the thought. He wouldn't be conscious long.

Dark eyes flashed angrily at me, trying vainly to focus. "You…you will _return_ with…me to W-Wu…tai…" He insisted with the petulance of a spoilt child. I rolled my eyes wearily and his expression hardened. "You _will_ return…w-with _me_…Princess Kisaragi…"

"Like HELL. Doesn't matter how many times you say it moron, it just isn't gonna happen!" I spat. "And you can tell my ingrate _father_-" The word was laced with heavy sarcasm_. "-_ he can go abdicate to a _Chocobo_ for all I care, I'm NOT goin' back!"

His conversational skills were beginning to bore me so, taking advantage of his weakness, I decided to finish the scuffle once and for all. The heel of my right boot slammed with bruising finality into his temple, accompanied by a horribly satisfying 'thwuck', which sent him sprawling to the ground in a boneless heap.

Knocked out cold.

I stood a moment over his inert form, breathing heavily. Out of practice as I was the battle had taken more out of me than it should have. _Still won though… _I thought huffily and curiously toed the pile of pummeled Ninja in front of me. I was rewarded with a semi-conscious groan of pain.

"GOOD, serves you right." I muttered down at his battered profile.

Frowning slightly, I scanned the area; noting the petrified faces of those who had witnessed the scuffle as I searched for somewhere to dispose of the cumbersome problem of a semi-conscious Ninja. He was gonna be one hell of a pissed off Ninja when he finally woke up, bruised and no doubt suffering from the World's worst Kisaragi-induced headache.

_As much as I like kickin' ass I really don't wanna be around to deal with THAT._

My eyes settled at last, narrowing wickedly. With a slow, feral grin I hauled the Ninja's limp carcass toward a small duct in the corner of the room, silently thanking Leviathan that he was a skinny runt and not too difficult to drag. Above the duct a rectangular plaque read **'Garbage Chute'**.

"You should feel right at home with the rest of the garbage, Mr Anonymous." I smirked, awkwardly pushing him headfirst through the flap that led the way to a mountain of trash and consolation prize tissues. _Used, I hope._ I thought viciously, my lower back twinging with pain and promising later stiffness. I shoved his feet through roughly and then listened with satisfaction as I heard a muffled, moist sounding 'thwump' a few moments later.

_Ha…good riddance to bad rubbish._

I turned around, rubbing my hands briskly and was immediately confronted with a pair of gleaming pectorals.

I blinked, confused, before raising my eye level slightly higher to see Dio's joyful face looming over me. His eyes brimmed over with reverent tears, lower lip thrust out, wobbling slightly with blubbing pride and his nose very pink in his face. Even his moustache seemed to swell with admiration.

_What the…_

"FANTASTIC!" Dio boomed suddenly, grasping me in a bone-crushing hug and swinging me round with glee. The world was suddenly a disorientating blur of orange muscle-tone. "The most MAGNIFICENT battle I've seen in a long time!"

"Umph!" I managed feebly against one bursting bicep, trying to suck some oxygen into my now pancake-like lungs.

"A PRIZE!" At last I was released, coughing and wheezing as Dio spread his arms wide and strutted in a small circle around me. "THAT is what you will get for such a BEAUTIFUL display of battle prowess!"

_Prize…?_

My ears perked up and I squinted up hopefully through watering eyes at the blur of orange posing triumphantly before me. "Really..!" I wheezed, grinning crookedly.

_After all…Dio gives good prizes!_

"Of COURSE!" Dio nodded importantly, holding out one giant fisted hand before me and slowly opening it to reveal something twinkling promisingly in the centre of his palm. "Your reward!"

"Whoa…" I picked up the Mythril ring Cloud and I had seen earlier in Dio's Show Room, barely able to believe that it was _mine_ and I hadn't even had to _steal_ it. _This is definitely a first…_ "Hey thanks!" I returned Dio's indulgent smile with a broad grin, quickly pocketing the ring in case he suddenly changed his mind and demanded it back.

_**MINE**__. Heh. This has been a pretty good day!_

_One Ninja disposed of; one rare ring obtained…now all I have to do is find Cloud…_

_Urk..._

* * *

I ditched Dio in Battle Square and headed for the Ghost Hotel with the vague hope of finding Cloud there; maybe traumatized for life after what had happened back on the tram. _Or possibly…if the Chakra had really worked…composing a sickeningly sentimental marriage proposal. _

_Or worse…poetry. Ugh…_

With these frightening possibilities in mind I hurried through the Hotel lobby and up the gently curving staircase, hastily taking the steps two at a time. Distracted, I ran right through one of the ghostly bellboys, leaving him looking scandalized and vaguely violated on the top step.

"Spike…?"

Our shared room was conspicuously empty. All I did find there were our two rumpled beds, our ragged, discarded backpacks, my Shuriken and Cloud's dog-eared copy of the 'Junon Times'…dated 6 weeks ago.

_Dammit._

Disappointed by the lack of Cloud I sank down cross legged on the bed nearest the door, smoothing the coverlet absently with one gloved hand. _SO…how the hell am I gonna convince him to leave Gold Saucer behind when we'd only just arrived? _I chewed on my bottom lip as I puzzled over it, brushing my bangs out of my eyes irritably.

_Uhm…epidemic? I could tell him the entire population of Gold Saucer had suddenly contracted some hideous, mutilating disease which also happens to be terribly terribly contagious…? Nope, no good. I don't have enough money to bribe anyone to look convincingly ill... Cloud'd probably claim he was immune anyway. Damn MAKO._

I slumped onto my back with a weary sigh, legs dangling off the edge of the bed and head pillowed in my arms as I scowled up at the cobwebbed ceiling.

_Just face it Yuffs, there's no gettin' around this one. You're just goin' to have to tell him the truth and hope he listens to your explanation BEFORE he decides to kick your ass… and then dump your sorry butt here with all the other losers… and Dio. _Grimacing, I snatched up a nearby pillow, hugging it tightly to my chest as though shielding myself from such an unpleasant outcome.

I wondered where my erstwhile companion had run off to and what was currently going through his head. There was no way I'd be able to find Cloud if he didn't want to be found. I might as well just wait for him to show up. His things were still here after all. He had to come back for them eventually.

_Well then since I have this free time on my hands I guess I may as well review the grim shoddy facts of reality then._

_One: I bump into Cloud and suffer inconvenient hormonal-induced-brain-death. Recklessly, I follow him._

_Two: Greed overcomes common sense and I steal that damned stupid fricken' pest of a Chakra Materia._

_Three: I accidentally USE said Materia in a moment of utter stupidity. _

_Four: Cloud kisses me and…runs off?_

I didn't really understand the last part but the rest sort of made sense to me in a sick, twisted way. _Well what was my other option? Cloud kissing me because he WANTED to? Pfft. Tune into sanity FM Yuffs. It HAD to be because of the Chakra. _Frustrated, I flipped over onto my stomach and proceeded to pummel the innocent pillow mercilessly, massacred feathers flying everywhere. "Gawd dammit,_ HOW_ do I get myself _into_ these situations!"

"_Arrrggghhh!"_

I paused mid-punch, one hand still fisted in the pillow, at the sound of a muffled cry from somewhere on the ground floor. I turned slowly toward the half-closed door, blinking at what little I could see of the hallway outside through a flurry of slowly falling feathers. A shaft of dim light filtered into the room along with several more distant cries of alarm and the obvious sounds of a scuffle. I tensed, listening with a hammering heart to the sudden sound of heavy, booted feet on the stairs…a sound I dimly recognized as Cloud's gargantuan boulder-boots.

_Cloud…!_

I shot up off the bed and ran toward the door; just in time to collide painfully right into Cloud himself

"_Ummph-!" _The impact sent us both sprawling half on, half off the bed; legs tangling and booted feet scrabbling for purchase against the carpeted floor, one of my arms twisted up painfully behind my back against the rumpled coverlet. "Ow! Ow! _OW_!"

Scowling against Cloud's shoulder I tried to push him off with my free arm, his weight pinning me down helpless against the bed. Through the bangs falling across my eyes and Cloud's shoulder obscuring half my vision I could vaguely see he was trying, without much luck, to get back on his feet. "Spike, what the HELL is goin' on!"

"No time!" Cloud ground out and I caught a flash of one fierce blue eye and a few jagged blonde spikes from my limited view point. "We have to leave NOW!"

"Well GET OFF me then you great LUMP!" I shouted and with a violent push somehow managed to roll us both off the bed and down onto the carpeted floor with myself half straddling Cloud's legs. Unfortunately, the back of Spike's head hit the carpet with a painful sounding 'thwump', his eyes glazing over momentarily. Wincing, I scrambled quickly to my feet, offering him an apologetic hand up - which he ignored.

"Ow! HEY!" I screeched as he immediately grabbed my arm without explanation, in a grip that can only be described as 'vice-like', swiping up his backpack from the floor as he all but ran toward the one half-shuttered window in the room. I barely had time to grab up my own Shuriken and pack as he tugged me roughly forward. "What's GOIN' ON!"

"No time!" Cloud barked unhelpfully, grabbing me roughly around the waist without warning and hoisting me up through the window and out onto the sloping roof just below as if he were merely moving furniture. The only protest I could manage was an undignified squawk (plus an accurate impression of a shocked guppy) as I scrabbled for purchase on the slippery tiles. The ghostly graveyard seemed an awfully long drop down. I heaved myself to my feet with a grunt of effort. Boots skidding slightly as I sought for balance, I hastily shouldered my backpack and Shuriken before I could drop them and watched, confused, as Cloud climbed quickly through the window after me. An instant later the door to our room burst open, admitting half a dozen black clad men….

"KISARAGI!" Came the triumphant shout, accompanied by many pointing fingers, as they immediately recognized my gormless face gawping at them through the window.

_Scrap THAT…half a dozen -PISSED AS HELL- black clad men…with my battered and furious looking personal stalker at the forefront, glaring daggers at me and looking ruthlessly intent_. He might've looked a bit more threatening if it weren't for the giant black eye and slight limp I'd furnished him with earlier and if not for the liberal scattering of various scraps of garbage over his person; a souvenir from his earlier ride down the garbage chute no doubt.

_Oh crap… _

_So much for hiding their presence here from Cloud…_

Luckily my unorthodox hero was currently too preoccupied with escape to grill me for answers. Cloud slammed the window shut forcefully on our pursuers and I let him grab my hand and lead me off at a clumsy run across the rooftop, not daring to look back behind us where the Ninja would soon be giving fervent chase.

"Kisaragi! There's no escape! Surrender now and we'll let your companion go free!" My anonymous stalker's voice floated up from behind us, full of hauteur and icy fury. _So, they got the window open. Just great._ I grit my teeth and forced my feet faster, ignoring the sharp glance Cloud directed at me. A glance that seemed to say; _'What the HELL have you gotten yourself into Yuffie?!'_

_Ohshitohshitohshit! Why me! Why __**now**_

"No way you bastards!" I shouted back in Wutaian over one shoulder. _For Gawd's sake, can't they take a hint already! I'm NOT goin' back to Wutai! EVER!_ "Why won't you bozos just LEAVE ME ALONE!"

If they replied I didn't hear; my own breath and Cloud's were both ragged in my ears, our footfalls heavy and frantic on the slippery slate roof. _But we could only run so far…we'd have to turn and fight eventually. I knew Cloud could probably handle them but the middle of the Gold Saucer was not the most ideal battle ground. Escape would be the more preferable option for both of us._

As if sensing my thoughts Cloud's grip tightened on my hand, pulling me along faster. I knew it was inevitable he'd have some pretty heavy questions to ask me later, and _alone_ where there would be no witnesses to the bloodbath that was sure to ensue. That is…if we ever got out of this mess unscathed.

_Why does everyone always want to attack me? Or chase me? Or BOTH! _

_I can't get a fricken' break here!_

With a sinking heart I knew the game was up when I heard the distant whistle of a Shuriken singing through the air behind us. But even so, the pain that burst in the back of my skull was still a numbing shock. Strangely all I could think of, as I sank resignedly down into unconsciousness, was how the hell I was going to explain this all to Cloud.

* * *

_**A/N:** Sorry it's so late coming. I had trouble editing this - it's my least favourite chapter. The part where Dio gives Yuffie the ring as a reward is actually a sort of homage to the game in a way. If you manage to survive the Battle Square on your(second or first?) visit to Gold Saucer Dio gives you a prize. Anyway, I need tea STAT. Thanks for being patient guys._


	5. Thorn in my Side

* * *

**Eyes Wide Open**

_Chapter 5_

'**Thorn in my Side'**

* * *

I had no memory of leaving the Gold Saucer or of the journey after - being mostly comatose at the time.

When I awoke it was to find myself tied, gagged and slung over the shoulder of a guy roughly the size and shape of a walking boulder with about the same level of hygiene, doggedly plodding across the plains away from the Corel Mts and in the vague direction of Nibelheim and Rocket Town. An underling that happened to be following a procession of other similarly plodding ninja underlings with our Ninja stalker at the forefront, looking insufferably smug. I didn't doubt for a moment our destination; to Wutai and my waiting doom.

_Godo would no doubt have been be cackling his ass off and capering triumphantly around the Pagoda if he could see me now._ The rest of my thoughts ran along the same bitter line.

I spent the majority of the morning march gazing helplessly over the shoulder of my captor-come-pack-mule and down at a similarly bound, gagged and thoroughly pissed off Cloud Strife; eyes shooting blue laser death glares filled with the promise of terrible, terrible torture especially reserved for one particular kunoichi. Between those hateful glares and a headache the size of Cosmo Canyon (worse than any that Bugenhagen's planet lectures had ever induced) I was beginning to feel decidedly sorry for myself.

It wasn't the most ideal way to wake up from a shuriken induced black out; bruised and captive and unable to apologise coherently to Cloud through the sour rag in my mouth. He didn't look the least bit sympathetic either. I tried to communicate a heartfelt apology purely with my eyes but he was having none of it; he began pointedly ignoring me soon after that.

_Hey it's not my fault I got knocked out by a Shuriken! _I thought bitterly._ Those things HURT, gawdammit. I have a LUMP the size of a Materia on the back of my frickin' head!_

I really didn't see what Spike's problem was. He could have taken those bozos on easily and escaped. He didn't have to stick around and surrender on my account. And hey, it wasn't _my_ fault he'd chosen to sacrifice his freedom to protect me. I didn't ask for that…well not that I could have asked for much of anything since I'd been knocked out cold before anything remotely exciting had happened.

Frustrated and aching from lying like a sack of potatoes over what had to be the boniest, most uncomfortable shoulder in all the history of the planet I struggled ineffectively, only managing to get an unsatisfactory swipe across my captor's nose with the grubby heel of one boot. His grunt of pain soothed my fury slightly…until he promptly swung me down, trussed my feet firmly together and swung me back up without a pause for breath.

_Oh, crap._

"BREAK!" Some bozo shouted in Wutainese sometime later and immediately I found myself flung down onto the unforgiving ground, right onto a pointy little rock that cheerfully proceeded to dig in between my shoulder blades. _GAWDAMMIT. I'd bet my Conformer that the bastard just KNEW that rock was there! _

My captor/part-time transport shuffled off in the direction of refreshments leaving Cloud and I set apart slightly from the main group. For 0.5 of a second, as the rock continued to jab into my spine, I contemplated whether it was possible to spontaneously combust on pure will power alone. The explosion would surely destroy ALL the bastards currently loitering nearby and possibly a large chunk of the surrounding flora and fauna. Cloud would be safe of course, his MAKO infusion taking off the brunt of the explosion. _He probably wouldn't even notice if I did implode…_ I thought bleakly._ He's shown about as much life as a tree stump today._ I let out a bitter sigh as I glanced briefly over at the ex-mercenary in question where he was currently doing a good impersonation of a whole lump of nothing. _If only he would stop looking at me like I was pond amoeba._

A shadow loomed over me suddenly, silhouetted against the blazing noon-day sun. I squinted up, nearly biting clear through my gag when I saw it was our familiar ninja stalker, come for his usual break-time leer and customary gloat. I'd worked out earlier that morning, when I'd woken to a blinding headache and this unfortunate situation, that despite his obvious failings he was clearly the leader of this pain-in-my-ass group. The others deferred to him by default, addressing him as 'Lord Aso' and it was clear to anyone with eyes that this 'Aso' enjoyed it all immensely; strutting to and fro like a preening peacock, sending subordinates scurrying in all directions to fulfil his every petty whim.

At rest times Aso reclined much like a Sultan; waited on hand and foot, fanned, fed and telling obviously fabricated tales about various improbable feats of bravery, difficult missions and battles he'd apparently aced single-handedly. All throughout this his amassed fans 'ooohed' and 'ahhhed' their awe of him and clapped and hooted appreciatively whenever he finished one of his long, incredibly boring yarns of how fantastic he was. I uttered an appreciative sigh of my own at such times; that he'd finally finished speaking.

Physically, unlike his subordinates who were all of the brutish and burly variety, Aso was slender as a reed and seemed to take great pains in his appearance which only soured my opinion of him further. Vanity just did not mix in the lifestyle of a ninja, considering all the unsavoury activities one was forced to endure…so I doubted Aso was a hired mercenary. _So who was he exactly_? The question had bugged me all day. What I did know what that he was probably my least favourite person in the world right at this moment.

"Good morning Lady Kisaragi!" The irritant in question greeted me sarcastically as he performed a mocking, exaggerated bow.

Unable to reply I settled for seething silently, fury rolling off me in invisible waves. All I got for my struggles was the pointy rock making a nice little nest in my spine. I lay still finally, knowing it was futile, breathing noisily through my gag. My helplessness seemed to please him; his sly smile grew broader, his dark eyes slitting and his tone of voice becoming more self-congratulatory. _Pervert._

He'd dropped his attempts at speaking 'common' earlier that day, addressing me now in slightly accented Wutainese. Unfortunately, with the language barrier eradicated, his more negative personality traits had became a whole lot more apparent.

He began to move in a slow, gloating circle around me, his pretty-boy face twisted by a scornful sneer.

"I hope you're enjoying my hospitality. I did my best to provide as befitting for a person such as yourself." He paused consideringly, a brow rising at my indignant scowl. "Well. You've only yourself to thank for this. If you'd just come along quietly things wouldn't be half so unpleasant."

My eyes automatically sought out the yellowish, semi-healed bruise along his brow and another, slightly larger one across his jaw-line; souvenirs from our recent scuffle at the Gold Saucer. I noticed he neglected to mention the recent pummelling I'd given him. _Typical. _I wondered briefly how he'd managed to get out of the garbage chute, whether his men had somehow rescued him…and if they _had_, how he'd explained what he was doing down there in the first place. I smiled around my gag at the thought.

"What are you smirking at?" He demanded, eyeing me suspiciously as he straightened; looking aloof and disdainful once more. "Hm. You won't be smirking for long I _assure_ you. Wutai is not so far now. We'll see how you enjoy the new_ changes_ to your lifestyle when we get there…" I tensed, wondering what he meant by THAT piece of verbal vomit.

"Mmmph um bppphhaard!" I writhed uselessly, trying to loosen my bonds so I could get to pummelling the bastard into the ground already. I only succeeded in covering myself in sand and grit.

"What's that?" Aso cupped a hand to his ear mockingly, tilting his head slightly toward me. "I'm afraid I can't quite understand you Princess. You should try to be more concise." He laughed appreciatively at his own lame joke. I close my eyes tight and turned my head to the side, away from his insufferable smirk. I was literally shaking with rage. "Anyway, let's save the chit chat for later, you're going to need your rest. It's a long journey yet and my men can't carry you all the way, even if you _are_ royalty…" Laughing loudly he strode away toward his men, disappearing easily behind burly shoulders and large, bricklike heads. I don't think I'd ever been so furious. I wondered idly whether a vein had burst in my head; for a few moments all I could see was red.

I sighed as best as I could given my current position and glanced over at Cloud, lying nearby on my left. His eyes said it all. I flinched,rolling away onto my side and fixing my gaze sulkily into the sand blurred distance. I watched sourly as one of the ninja underlings in my line of vision expressionlessly swallowed a boiled egg whole.

_Right then, life absolutely SUCKED._

* * *

I figured we were had nearly passed through Corel mountains by the time the sun set later that day. The familiar ragged mountain tops, jutting up gawkily alongside the dusty little dirt track Cloud and I were being frog marched down, brought back memories that were somewhat sharp. The blazing, buzzing heat had mellowed to soothing twilight warmth, a slight wind tousling my snarled and matted hair as I slogged onward. Stars had just begun to appear out of the semi-dark sky overhead, twinkling distantly. I scowled up at them resentfully, my limbs throbbing with pain. _Well aren't you lucky?! Stupid smug stars, all safe a million miles away. Ain't life just PEACHY for ya!_

My eyes slid regretfully over the little niche Cloud and I had hid in earlier that week as we plodded past, wondering if the chance for escape would ever come before we reached Wutai. I'd been keeping watch for opportunities all day but to no avail. Our captors had not let up in the slightest; their security was tighter than Cid's wallet. It wouldn't have surprised me if my father had briefed them on the full extent of my sneakiness before he'd sent them. Either way, they kept a sharp eye on me. Cloud, the more dangerous of the two of us, they mostly disdained as a foreigner. _Fools._

The only real change was that I was now being forced to walk much as Cloud. I trailed reluctantly along, a thick rope cord attached to my bound wrists that every now and then one of my captors would tug on roughly, just to see me stumble. I was bone tired, miserable and my mouth filled with both a numb ache and a sour taste where I'd been chewing angrily on the gag all day. It had been taken off three times; water sloshed forcefully into my mouth, the container clanking painfully against my teeth as I attempted to shout obscenities. Each time the gag was replaced before I even had a chance to swallow.

I glanced at Cloud, frowning slightly. His eyes flashed disconcerting neon blue, resentfully, in the near-dark as he felt my searching gaze. The anger in those eyes was slightly jaded with fatigue but still sharp enough to make me recoil involuntarily. _But…the Chakra materia? I don't understand how the damn thing works! _Cloud's behaviour was frustratingly inconsistent.I couldn't understand how he could kiss me back in Gold Saucer but scrutinise me with such resentment now if the Materia was still at work on him… _Something ain't right here…I don't get it! _I sighed, blinking wearily in the growing dark. _It was a mysterious Materia, who knew how it worked? Maybe its influence was like the nature of a fever; passing moments of lucidity and then equally of delirium_. I should never have tampered with the thing, that was for sure.

I squirmed guiltily. _Back on the hotel rooftop in Gold Saucer he could have easily left me and made his escape. But… he'd stayed and tried to protect me when the Shuriken had knocked me out cold. But why? A sense of duty? Friendship? Or just the sinuous tendrils of Chakra influence warping his mind and bending it to its unwholesome purpose..?_ As if on cue the back of my head ached slightly, and I felt my resentment soften. I'd inflicted my own problems onto Cloud, just through being my own selfish self. If I'd cared about him I'd never have followed him in the first place…_I should have __**known**__ this would happen…!_ I snorted to myself, feeling a fool. Y_eah, right…what, with your third eye Yuffs?_

I was surprised when we stopped at last for the night, so caught up in my thoughts that when they removed my gag I could only splutter wordlessly as a tin of food was shoved roughly into my bound hands. The only way to eat it was to tilt my head back and let the half mashed goo slide tastelessly down my throat. It was little comfort. My head pounded and my body ached in a thousand different places. As usual we'd been dumped ceremoniously by a boulder, outside of the main camp but close enough to be watched via beady eyes.

"Why did you insist on being so disgustingly independent in the first place?!" Aso suddenly demanded of me almost the moment I'd swallowed the foul goop. He loomed out of the darkness, glaring furiously down at me. "If it weren't for your frankly revolting sense of autonomy I wouldn't be out here in the middle of nowhere, plagued by these parasites-" He punctuated this with an enraged slap to the side of his neck, squishing one of the mentioned offenders. "-and mingling with such dunderheaded company!"

Raising my brows a little incredulously I peered over at the gathering of underlings attempting to light a camp fire amidst much grunting and fruitless prodding with sticks not far away. I turned back with a careless shrug, lip curling with disdain. "Look guy, you didn't _have_ to chase me halfway round the continent. I'm not responsible for any of this. Why couldn't you have left me the damn hell alone?! If you don't like it then TOUGH CHOCOBO CRAP - it's your own damn fault!"

Aso seethed at that, muscles bunched and lips twitching like he wanted very much to smother me with insults on every aspect of my existence.

"You do realise." He hissed tightly at last, looming closer. "That I was in the middle of my exams when my father and Lord Godo conspired to send me out here on this brainless, _vile_ mission to apprehend you - a person I frankly could have gone my whole life quite blissfully without ever having met??"

I stared at him wordlessly a moment as his words sunk slowly in. And then I lifted my head and howled with laughter, peel after peel echoing crudely into the night. I felt more than saw the rest of my captors turning to watch me confusedly. Even Cloud took a break from his intense brooding to direct his patented death glare at me from somewhere off to my side.

"Exams?!" I managed to choke out finally, gawping up at him disbelievingly. "You have got to be the weirdest Wutaiian I've ever met! Are you sure you weren't dropped at the front of your father's Pagoda as a baby?"

"Don't be ridiculous!" He spat. "I'm as Wutaiian as _you _are - despite your _freakish_…ideals! But I'm the youngest of four sons. I have to be ambitious if I'm going to get anywhere! Unlike _you_, I actually want my life to have some kind of direction!

"YAWN." I drawled pointedly. I couldn't have been more uninterested.

"Gah! I'm going to make you PAY for this!"

"Oh put a sock in it you little bookworm! I can see _why_ your father pounced on the first chance to get you away from your studies. What a disappointment you must be to him!" I smiled with as much insincerity as I could muster before a thought suddenly occurred to me. "Hey, who is your father anyway?"

"Ha! As if I'd tell you! You'll know soon enough when we reach Wutai…then you'll wish you didn't." With those last ominous words he whirled away to join the rest of his 'dunderheaded company' around the camp fire they'd finally managed to get going.

"Hey wait! What's my dad going to do with me?!" I yelled after him but he made no reply.

_Hm, well. That was enlightening._ I thought sourly._ This Aso was the son of some guy conspiring with my father? What did that mean exactly? And why was dad making seedy alliances?_

I lay back wearily, staring glumly through the darkness toward the semi-circle of men around the glowing firelight. Aso had taken a seat at the centre of course, offering his adoring flock an unobstructed view of him so they could fawn more easily. _How thoughtful._ I scowled, listening to the murmuring voices for a while, my expression soon souring further. _Gawd…he's telling that bullshit story AGAIN…CAN'T those BOZOS see he's full of CRAP?!_ The resentment was too much and with the gag gone I could at last vent it now.

"Arrrgggghhhh! You're all brainless IMBECILES! Can't you see he's just a big WINDBAG??" I yelled hoarsely, voice rasping with disuse as I flailed angrily. Half forgotten pains roared back to life, immediately making me regret my sudden outburst.

The men immediately fell silent, glancing over at me with slight frowns on faces made ruddy by firelight. No one seemed to know what to say…until Aso began to laugh scornfully, pointing at me and elbowing the men either side of him until they followed suit. Of course, everyone soon joined in after that; rolling about the place as if I was the funniest thing to come out of the Comedy Club in central Junon. One of my captors stomped over and shoved the gag back in my mouth, smirking down into my eyes as he retied the knot cruelly at the back of my head. I seethed up at him, putting all my rage into my eyes. He returned once more to the fire, indifferent.

I hunkered down low against the rocks, glowering and nearly spitting with frustration, trying to block out Aso's penetrating voice as he continued on with his story as though I had never spoken.

"Judging by the look on your face, I think I'm glad I can't understand a single word of Wutaian."

I jerked up sharply, my eyes automatically seeking out Cloud's in the darkness. It wasn't hard; they glowed softly, wearily blue as he reclined dustily back against a boulder, trussed hands lying limp in his lap and his legs stretched out before him. They hadn't replaced his gag either after they'd fed us; it lay to one side of him, half trampled and covered in dust. _Sheesh…I don't wanna be Cloud when they put that thing back in his mouth tomorrow morning….urgh. Who knows what sort of creatures nest out here!_

He regarded me blankly for a moment. "How the _hell_ did you get into this mess..?"

I wondered how I could answer him, considering my mouth was full of sour rag, but it seemed the question was merely rhetorical for he was shaking his head wearily at me, his gaze moving slowly away into the darkness ahead of him. A creature howled in the distance and, shivering slightly, I awkwardly crawled closer till I was resting against the same boulder…close, but not touching. I didn't dare push my luck after what I'd put him through the last few days.

"You really are a pain in the ass." I winced, but there was no anger in his voice, only dull resignation. It was more of a blank statement, the way one might comment on the weather; 'Oh, the sun is shining today.' Or on the latest movie out; 'Oh, that was complete Chocobo crud.' Besides, it was the truth and I didn't blame him for stating it. "Somehow, I'm not surprised."

I grimaced unhappily around my gag and nodded my agreement, gazing sullenly at my bound wrists where they lay propped up on my scuffed knees. I noticed glumly that my arms and legs were covered in small scratches and yellowing bruises. I wondered idly what my father would say to the sorry sight of me when I was finally handed over to him. Would he be pleased I'd suffered and been punished in some small way for my defiance?

"It'll take three days to reach the coast from here, another two to reach Wutai once they cross the ocean…" Cloud continued suddenly and I glanced over questioningly but he wasn't looking at me, just frowning off into the darkness as though he were considering something, weighing some possibility in his mind. Hope sputtered weakly in my chest. _Does he have a plan? Oh pleasepleasepleasePLEASE have a plan Cloud!_

"After that…you're doomed Yuffs."

_Wha…huh?_

The tiny spark of hope was snuffed out completely. I sat there digesting his words like they were a rotten taste in my mouth, feeling for the first time the hot weight of tears behind my eyes. Not because I cared about what happened when I was eventually dragged back into Wutai to face my rabid father…but because it seemed Cloud had given up on me and he was letting me know as kindly as he could considering all the shit I'd gotten him into.

I sunk lower down against the rocks, tucking my chin against my chest so my straggly mop of hair slid forward to hide my eyes from him.

"Get some sleep Yuffie, it's gonna be a long day tomorrow…" Cloud sighed heavily and fell silent, his breathing evening out after a while as I was left wide awake in abject misery, wondering how my life had turned to such complete crud in the space of one short week. A short distance away Aso and his men laughed and it sent a hot stab of despair through me. The creature howled mournfully again in the distance as though he sensed my pain. Miserably I decided to take Cloud's advice and closed my eyes, soon falling off into the comforting nothingness of sleep.

* * *

I discovered the next morning that being prodded roughly awake with the toe of someone's boot was not a great way to start the day. I shifted in the warm dust, blinking heavily against the wan morning light as I was again prodded mercilessly by that relentless boot I scowled through my gag and grimaced up at the toe-prodder above me._ ALRIGHT already! I'm up! Just tell me what the hell you want; I'm not a mind-reader for Gawd's sake!_ To my surprise toe-prodder hoisted me up roughly by the neck of my shirt and tugged the gag unceremoniously away. My mouth felt odd without it, my tongue oddly thick and my jaw aching heavily. I rolled it a few times, experimentally, wincing at the discomfort.

"Where the _hell_ did your moronic sidekick go?!" Aso immediately demanded of me, materialising as if out of nowhere and shoving his face close to mine. His hand clenched tightly on my chin, forcing my eyes up to meet his furious gaze. Up close I was able to vaguely appreciate that he might be quite handsome if he wore any expression other than snarling anger or arrogance. "Don't try to protect him, he's clearly no friend of yours! He's abandoned you here, your little hero!" He looked truly enraged and I wondered briefly what had got his panties into such a twist…until his words suddenly sunk into the numb hunk of flesh that was currently taking up residence in my skull.

"Cloud's…gone?!" _Wha…wha…WHAT THE HELL??_

"Cloud? That's his name is it?" Aso sniffed disdainfully, finally releasing me and stepping back. "Bit of a pansy name for a guy!"

I bristled defensively. "Well it's better than As–_hole_!" I declared, feeling a surge of juvenile pleasure as Aso was left spluttering indignantly at my audacity.

He seemed to get a hold of his temper for his face smoothed over into the almost impressive, expressionless calm that I was more familiar with. His eyes still remained mocking slants of jet as he continued to regard me. His voice was deceptively soft as he spoke. "I don't know how the twerp managed it but he escaped sometime last night."

His eyes narrowed and I felt an unexpected curl of excitement in my stomach but I couldn't tell whether it was because Cloud has somehow managed to get free or due to the danger I saw in Aso's gaze.

"…It seems I may have underestimated him." He allowed grudgingly, looking like it caused him great pain to admit it. "He took his weapon too, that ridiculous sword…more like a battering ram." Aso seemed to be musing aloud to himself, even as his eyes remained narrowed speculatively upon me. He appeared to make up his mind abruptly for he turned on one heel sharply, waving a gloved hand dismissively.

"No matter." He yawned hugely as though what had driven him to mindless fury only moments earlier was now somehow of little or no consequence to him. _Fickle weirdo_. I groused inwardly, wishing he'd finish his prattle so the impromptu interrogation would finally be over and I could get to analysing my horrendous luck already. "He was of no use to us. You're the one we wanted and you're the one we have so let him go if he wants. I doubt he'll get far out in the wilderness…it can be dangerous place for a man alone." He shot me a cruelly satisfied look.

I wanted to laugh at that but managed to bite my lip in time to smother it_. He obviously had no idea what Cloud was capable of._

Aso's eyes settled uncomfortably on me again and his face was suddenly almost pleasant. For some reason it made me more nervous than his cool anger had before. He moved closer and I squirmed in the unyielding grip of the toe-prodder, trying defiantly to meet his eyes but immediately disliking what I saw there.

_Gawd, this guy is creepy and a half…ugh, why is he looking at me like I'm some kind of edible treat?_

"We'll be in Wutai soon." He smiled affably. "You'll be returned to your father's custody and then…I'll be given my-" His eyes suddenly raked my body slowly from head to toe and with an intensity that made me shiver with foreboding. "- reward." The words sent a horrible suspicion sweeping through my mind. _NO..Godo wouldn't do that to me! ...Would he?! I refuse to believe it until I hear it from the jerk's own lips! There's no way I'm letting that cretinous leech lay a finger on me! If he tries…I'll...I'll…well I'll do __**something**__! And it won't be pleasant that's for sure!_

"Come on, move it!" Aso was moving away, kicking the shins of any of his men who appeared too idle for his liking. "We've wasted enough time here over that fool." He stalked off to the head of the line, cursing briefly as he stumbled over a rock. Everyone pointedly pretended not to see, some rubbing their shins fearfully.

The men fell back into line again, myself amongst them; dragged forward as before but barely able to focus on anything other than the desperate thoughts racing through my mind. _Cloud's escaped…somehow!_ Relief warred with despair inside me. _But Aso's right too…he did abandon me…not that I blame him but..._Part of me had hoped that during the last week or so together he may have become even slightly attached to me_…I guess not._ The thought filled me with a big cold blank, a final glum acceptance. _It's time to forget about him Yuffs; you've got bigger problems to deal with than a measly crush!_

But I knew, even as I plodded numbly onward to my grim fate, that there was nothing _measly_ about it anymore.

* * *

With precious little to alleviate my boredom, discomfort and constant foreboding I turned to thoughts of Cloud for the remainder of the day. He'd be well on his way to Costa del Sol, Nibelheim or Cosmo Canyon by now, depending on which direction he chose. My feelings were an odd mixture but I'd mostly resigned myself to returning to Wutai. There seemed to be little point in persisting in trying for freedom now Cloud had left.

I felt apprehensive about seeing my father, partially due to the unspoken promise of the long-ass lecture he'd have in stall for me. _Sometimes I truly feel running a gauntlet of savage, horny red dragons would somehow be preferable to one of Godo's incessant lectures; when he really got some steam behind him he could go on for days…and considering how long I'd been gone, he'd probably saved up enough steam to go on for __**years**__…no, DECADES…Maybe that's why he sleeps so much when he's not being a thorn in my side? He's powering up for more nagging! Urgh…_

When I thought of my father I couldn't help but consider Aso now too. My own personal nightmare. It seemed Godo was going to hand me to this jerk like some sort of trophy_… A_ '_reward' - what the hell did that guy mean? Why would Godo have me captured if only to shunt me off to one side again? It makes no sense…surely he can't be thinkin' of…ma-marr…_I couldn't say the word, not even in my private most thoughts. The idea of walking hand in hand down the aisle with that complete and utter moron gave me shivers._ The only way I'll hold his hand is if he glues me to it! _

I scowled, wiping sweat from my brow with the knuckles of my bound hands, praying the heat might let up a little toward the afternoon. I'd never felt more gross in my life; even when AVALANCHE had been rushing around the planet, chasing Sephiroth's butt, we'd taken time out for the occasional dip in a nearby stream or lake_. Wait...when was the last time I actually took a bath? Cloud and I didn't even get a chance when we stopped at Gold Saucer…and we'd been walkin' days before…urgh, that's disgustin'. Could I feel any scummier?!_

I stumbled slightly on the path, earning a sneer from the man nearest me. I flipped him the finger as well I could with my hands bound. I sensed Rocket Town couldn't be more than an hour or so away although all I had to rely on was my mental map which had been out of use for a while. I wished deeply that we could stop there, just to freshen up a little…but not only were my captors male and therefore instinctively suspicious of bathing in general, they must also have been aware of who my friends were and were deliberately avoiding any chance of running into Cid Highwind - the famous pilot and part time chimney. _Not that he'd be much help, all that old geezer's interested in are planes and tea. He'd hardly shift his lazy butt to help liberate me, hell he'd probably say I deserved it for barfing so many times on his precious Highwind._

Noon began to wind away into afternoon and the sun finally took pity on me, slinking away behind some clouds. Apart from the odd creature we had little interruption on our trek. I stared at the ground numbly as I dragged my feet, wondering if Cloud would spare me a thought now and then and not remember me too badly. We'd had some okay times in the last week or so, it hadn't _all _been bad. I'd sensed a deepening of the unusual brand of friendship and tension that had already existed between us but without actually going inside Cloud's labyrinthine mind and rummaging around I had no chance of knowing what his feelings regarding my bratty, foul-mouthed self were.

"BREAK!" Came the familiar cry and I was hauled forcefully off toward the customary pile of random boulders that seemed to be my respective place every time they had one of their impromptu tea breaks. I was dragged forcefully away from the main camp by two of the men, their grip bruising on my upper arms. I went very reluctantly and with a look on my face that could have curdled milk.

"Hold it!" A gruff voice called out and my two captors turned mutely, dragging me along with them.

Another ninja was approaching us, looking a little disgruntled as though he felt his duties were somehow distasteful to him. The guy had his scarf up around his face which wasn't really unusual; I'd seen a few others do much the same as though attempting to draw some sort of tragic anonymity to themselves. _Probably read in some trashy magazine that it drove the girls wild,_ Ithought sourly, unimpressed. _But h__eck…the guy must be roasting like that!_ _The ridiculous lengths people went to, to get laid!_

He came to halt before us, looking even surlier as he eyed my limp, bedraggled looking carcass. "Lord Aso says she's to be taken to the river, to…" He paused uncertainly, clearing his throat awkwardly. _Ha, is he blushing?!_ "…to…bathe." He finally managed, the last sounding mangled, as though it were a dirty, naughty word. "Her appearance displeases him." He added by way of explanation as he noted the three blank faces before him.

"If Lord Aso commands it…" One of my burly captors acquiesced with an indifferent grunt.

My expression darkened. _Lord Asshole could KISS my ASS far as I was concerned._ Since Cloud had escaped I'd been feeling doubly mutinous.

The two men holding me turned to one another and shrugged, relinquishing my arms to shove me roughly in the new guy's direction. They turned without another word, sloping off to join their comrades who were tucking into rice cakes a little way off with frightening intensity. I stumbled slightly but was surprised when the new guy caught me by the forearms and righted me before I had a chance to fall. His dark eyes were oddly gentle as he regarded me soberly.

"Lady Kisaragi." He addressed me reverentially and I glanced up at him quickly, surprised by his considerate tone. "This way…if you please."

I let him guide me off toward a grove of trees nearby where the sound of running water was quickly reaching my ears. His hand was curiously gentle but firm on my upper arm as we moved and I considered him a moment with a sideways glance, noting from the little I could see of his face that he was somewhat older than the others; nearer to my father in age. His attitude was different too, more courteous. _Maybe he's not a part of Aso's clan…perhaps he's one of Godo's men? Keeping an eye on me for the old coot I 'spose. _The corner of my mouth twitched in a mirthless smile._ I guess this guy must have seen me around Wutai at some point when I was youn- _Suddenly he stopped and drew back the scarf, revealing a kindly though weather-beaten face; slightly lined and clearly middle-aged. He turned to me then, looking uneasy and indecisive. I merely gazed at him impassively until he finally made up his mind about whatever was bothering him. His jaw tightened resolutely.

"My lady…" He began, respectfully, even going so far as to perform a very slight bow. His eyes remained fixed warily on my face the entire time of course; he was well mannered, not stupid. "I am so glad to see you alive. Your father has been worried-"

"Worried?!" I scoffed, scowling furiously up at him. "Don't make me laugh! I can tell exactly how much he thinks of me just by the kind of brutish goons he's sent to retrieve me." The guy looked suitably chastised; daring a quick, disapproving glance back toward the makeshift camp and the loutish goon squad contained therein.

"Their methods are, regrettably…questionable, but-"

"Questionable?!" I all but screeched, my tightly bound hands clenching stiffly into taut fists of fury. "'SCUSE ME MISTER but that's a fricken', conveniently _mild _way of putting it if you ask me!" The new guy blanched, his expression becoming beseechingly earnest.

"My lady, if you'll just give Lord Godo a chance to explain when you return to Wutai, I am sure-"

"A chance?!" I gasped out; incredulously outraged that he _dared _suggest such a thing to me. "Oh man, you are PRICELESS; you should join the Junon circus with that act! Give that half-wit-ingrate-no-good-cretinous- _weasley_ RODENT that dares to call himself a father, a _chance_?! What-" I barked out a scornful laugh. "-like the way he gave _me _a chance?" My voice positively dripped with poisonous sarcasm and I watched with savage satisfaction as he winced at my tone.

My guard eyed me regretfully for a long moment before he sighed resignedly and, clearly admitting defeat, gestured wordlessly for me to continue walking. I did as asked with quick furious strides, fuming inwardly.

We stopped a short distance away from the river which looked blessedly cool and inviting. _Ah thank Leviathan, finally!_ I almost felt myself softening toward Aso as I looked at the clear blue water gushing cheerfully. Okay, so I'd have to put my ruined travelling clothes back on afterward but at least I'd be somewhat clean. I realized the ninja was still standing behind me, his face seeming curiously red and strained. I gazed back questioningly to him, wondering what he was waiting for. _Woah…hang on a sec-_

"I'm afraid I shall have to remain here whilst you bathe, Lady Kisaragi." He finally managed, looking like he'd very much like to implode right there on the spot.

"EH?!" I squawked indignantly, gazing from the inviting water back to his pained, beet red face. "You're gonna watch me in the buff?!" Now _I _felt uncomfortable. No one had seen me naked before and I'd always felt the only person who should would be my future husband, if ever I was ever forced to have one. _Which might be sooner than expected_, I thought, as a mental image of Aso's haughty face sprang quickly to mind. I switched hastily to thoughts of Cloud to cancel Aso out and immediately flushed, feeling like a fool. _As if that'll ever happen! _

"Yes." The man nodded stiffly, words seeming to fail him for the moment before he managed to pull his composure together somewhat. "Given your reputation…" He looked almost apologetic that he had to bring up my well known deviousness. "Lord Aso does not trust you. If you wish to bathe, I shall have to guard you until you are finished." He sighed heavily, looking resigned.

"Oh Gawd…" I chewed my bottom lip indecisively, looking from the wonderfully cool water back to where he waited, uneasy yet determined. _Well…at least he's about as comfortable with this situation as I am. _I sighed heavily; the lure of the water was too great to resist. "Oh, alright…but no braggin' afterward okay?!" I finally assented awkwardly, flushing a little with embarrassment.

"You have my word." His mouth twitched slightly, holding a wry smile at bay. He untied me warily and stepped back, one hand hovering meaningfully over his shuriken to make sure I understood what would happen if I tried to escape.

I nodded glumly, less than pleased despite his chivalrous manner. _Well, might as well get it over with...the best thing is just to pretend he's not there… it'll be easier that way, I think._ Awkwardly, my joints achingly stiff, I pulled my ragged T-shirt up over my head. Immediately I felt a rush of embarrassment despite my back being turned to him. _Oh holy Chocobo ass…_

I froze suddenly as I heard a loud grunt of pain behind me and the sound of a heavy body thumping to the ground. _What the heck?!_ I didn't dare turn round as I was still blazingly half naked, my arms clutching my wrinkled T-shirt to my chest as I pulsed with humiliation.

"Uhm….mister?" I prompted tentatively and was greeted by unhelpful silence.

A warm, gloved hand suddenly clamped down over my mouth without warning and I struggled automatically, kicking out with my legs as I couldn't use my hands. Another arm slid quickly, yet awkwardly around my bare waist, pulling me back tightly against a warm, strong chest. Enraged, I elbowed the guy sharply in the stomach, encouraged by his pained whoosh of surprised breath. Yet rather than loosening, his grip tightened insistently.

"Shhhh!" Hissed a shockingly familiar voice in my ear that sent a jolt of delighted surprise through my body. Warm breath tickled my cheek gently as he continued whispering urgently to me. "Just calm down Yuffie, it's me!"

…_Cloud? CLOUD?? WHY? WHEN? HOW??_

_I'm half NAKED!! Gah!_

I forced myself to calm down; my face pulsing red as Cloud's grip at last began to relax. Finally he released me, withdrawing his hand from my mouth only to raise a finger to his lips, asking for silence. His blue eyes were deeply serious, communicating a warning silently. I hadn't realised how much I'd missed that intense blue gaze…my heart fluttered suddenly in my chest.

_I can't believe he's really here!_

I nodded to him over my shoulder with a shudder, quickly pulling my T-shirt back on as Cloud looked considerately in the opposite direction. Decent at last I was finally able to face him properly, although the blush hadn't completely faded from my cheeks nor had the faint sense of embarrassment. His own cheeks were a little pink too, I noted with faint amusement. I also noticed with some surprise that he was dressed the same dark clothes Aso's men wore. I could only guess how he'd got his hands on them…_somewhere a dazed ninja was lying gloriously nude in the middle of some forest._ I smirked at the thought, feeling elation lift my spirit higher.

_He came back! He didn't abandon me! __HUZZAH!_

Unfortunately this was neither the time nor the place to badger him with questions; Cloud was soon at my side again, taking my hand wordlessly as he tugged me gently but insistently across the river toward the forest on the other side. I glanced back over my shoulder as we splashed hurriedly through the cool water and up onto the far bank, mud sticking thickly to my boots. My courteous guard lay sprawled in a boneless heap, a large purpling bruise forming on one side of his head. I winced sympathetically. _Poor guy, I feel sorta bad for him, he was okay really….ah well, that's what happens when you choose the losing side, I guess!_

A short way into the forest, Cloud stopped and I watched curiously as he groped around beneath some scraggly shrubbery for a few moments, his hands finally returning with my pack and Conformer a moment later. I grinned delightedly, unable to resist pulling him into a quick, grateful hug as he handed my things back to me. He smiled slightly, looking faintly pleased as I pulled away again.

"WHAT THE?!" An enraged curse in the distance behind us. "QUICK!! _FIND_ HER YOU FOOLS!!"

Cloud and I locked gazes silently, frozen at the sound of Aso's outraged shout. The game was up; it was time to ditch this place.

Wordlessly I slung my pack and shuriken up over my shoulder and grabbed Cloud's hand. I lunged into the forest ahead like a prize winning racing Chocobo, eventually allowing Cloud to overtake me and guide us both through the maze of trees and vines. _Gawd Cloud, pleasepleaseplease know where you're going! If I have to listen to anymore of Aso's prattle I'll go NUTS!_ My lungs ached with the effort of keeping my ragged breathing low and quiet. Whatever escape Cloud had planned, I prayed to Leviathan that it would work. Yet despite the danger my heart felt light in my chest, my spirit free and my hand drawing solid comfort from Cloud's firm grasp.

* * *

We moved swiftly and for a long time in silence.

I didn't recognize much of the landscape as I allowed Cloud to pull me quickly along; moving in a curious half-running, half-jogging gait that I suspected would get us further than if we just ran flat out. I trusted Cloud knew what he was doing and where we were going and left it at that. We'd moved across higher terrain as we ran and although I could not hear the men who were pursuing us I knew they were there somewhere. I was in no hurry to be reunited with them. _UNDERSTATEMENT and a half!_

The forest we'd escaped into was denser than I'd imagined it to be but I could sense the slope we were moving up, (the pain in my legs and back weren't particularly subtle hints) and could now and then spot the ragged peaks of snow capped mountains through small partings in the leafy, sun-dappled canopy over head. If we kept moving in this direction for another day or so Nibelheim would not be far off.

_Was that our destination?_ I wondered, but didn't dare ask out loud.

Cloud moved assuredly most of the time, only pausing now and then to confirm his sense of direction. I glanced up from where our hands were joined, seeing the strong line of his jaw, his handsome profile taught with concentration. His spiky blonde hair was dark with sweat although I doubted it looked half as bad as my own scraggly mop.

_Why the heck did you come back for me, eh? _

I felt a moment's annoyance. _Fool. You could have gotten away, been on your way far away, somewhere safe by now…not stuck here trying to save my worthless butt!_ I grimaced as I stumbled over a rock, blowing hair out of my eyes as I looked up into Cloud's face above; concerned, questioning, impatient. '_Are you okay to go on?'_ His strange, MAKO enhanced blue eyes asked what he could not speak out loud. I nodded stiffly; the pain in my ankle only slight and soon forgotten in the need to get away from this place.

The trees were becoming sparser as we moved further up the slope, replaced with more and more rocks and boulders but also less cover and consequently an increased feeling of worry for me. _Who knows how far behind those bozos are?_ They could be right on our feet for all we knew, it wasn't like ninja moved anything like common military did; ploughing noisily and carelessly through the fauna like human bulldozers. They were cat-quick and moved as soundlessly as a feather floats. My own training only gave my senses an advantage when I was still and silent and could focus my hearing…running like this I could only pray to Leviathan that Cloud and I had enough time to get someplace safe.

We did.

_Thank you Leviathan, I owe you one! For a dragon God you are one seriously cool dude… _I thanked him with silent fervency as Cloud tugged me gently into a cave opening that seemed to have suddenly sprung up out of the face of the mountain before us.

"How..?"

"Shhh… not safe yet…" Cloud whispered, shooting me a meaningful glance over one shoulder as we moved forward quickly and quietly into the dark, cavernous opening. He let go of my hand a little way in and I stood shivering with adrenaline rush, watching with puzzlement as he pulled his pack out from behind a rock and crouched down, rummaging around inside.

I looked around curiously at what little I could see in the faint light filtering in; a small stone circle filled with dry wood, a large plain washing basin, a pitcher and a large pile of dry leaves and grass against the far wall where a weary traveler might sleep fairly well in what might otherwise have been a pretty uncomfortable shelter. Judging from Cloud's familiarity with the place it seemed a guess that it had been used by my spiky haired, ex-mercenary of a friend at some time or other in the past.

_What the? So it isn't just luck that we found this place…Cloud's been here before._ I frowned, rubbing my chin thoughtfully as I turned to watch the man in question finally pull out a high level Fire Materia from his backpack. I blinked with surprise down at the softly glowing green orb in his gloved hand.

_A working Fire Materia? Haven't seen one of those babies in a while…_

I whistled soundlessly through my teeth as before me Cloud focused intently on the Materia in his palm, eyes half slit with concentration. The orb glowed brightly, briefly, and a moment later fire burst with a loud crackle amongst the respectable gathering of wood within the circle of stones. I jumped slightly at the noise, smiling sheepishly down at Cloud's faintly amused face. Warm, flickering light immediately filled the small cavern and cast his profile into intriguing shadows. Further off Cloud's Buster Sword gleamed faintly from where it was propped up against the back of the cavern. As always, it's size both impressed and intimidated me.

_How the heck did he get that thing out of camp? No wait, forget that –how does he even __**carry**__ the bloomin' thing?! Okay, sure I've noticed he has muscles…ahem…oh yeah, I've definitely noticed… but he's hardly beefed up like Barret or even Dio for that matter…though I seriously doubt either of those two could lift the damn thing even with their absurdly muscled physiques._ The answer quickly came to me of course and left me rolling my eyes with both exasperation and ruefulness. _MAKO. Duh! Isn't it the source of all his freakishness? Hmm except for the hair…from what Tifa told me it seems that's a completely separate anomaly that may never be explained. _

Seeing that we were clearly here to stay for now I settled myself opposite Cloud on the other side of the crackling fire, leaning wearily against the cold stone at my back. I drew my knees up to my chest, hugging my legs loosely as I watched Spike speculatively over the tops of my scuffed kneecaps. He was pulling dried meat, vegetables and nuts out of a small canvas bag that had been pulled out of another hidden cubby hole I'd yet again failed to notice. My stomach rumbled appreciatively at the sight of food…_actual_ food, not the heartbreakingly pitiful goop I'd been forcing down my throat the last few days I'd been a captive. Cloud raised a brow at the sound and gestured toward the vegetables he was now preparing.

"It won't be long, you must be starving."

_Woah, understatement of the century Mr Strife! I could eat a raw Chocobo whole. _Although, the prospect of eating Cloud's cooking again made me more than a little apprehensive.

I jerked upright in surprise suddenly, looking questioningly at him. "So…so, is it okay to talk now then?" I frowned. "They won't hear us will they?" The last thing I wanted was to be caught and suffer even another minute of Aso's inflated ego. The thought of him made me want to gag…especially when I considered his disturbing, semi-cryptic words to me earlier that day. _'You'll be returned to your father's custody and then Ill be given my…reward.'_ I could picture that look he'd given me too; intense, slightly predatory…smug. _Urgh, he's disgustin'. There's no way I'd marry an egotistical runt like that…_

Cloud frowned at me thoughtfully, his glance sliding away down to the potato he was deftly peeling. "We're safe…for now anyway. I'm pretty sure no one knows about this place." He shrugged. "We'll just have to wait and see…there's no where else we can go for now." He glanced over, eyeing my ragged appearance critically. "You're in no state to go anywhere anyway so we might as well relax."

I 'hmmed' in vague agreement, finding the idea of sleeping semi-safe in Cloud's cave much more preferable to stomping around the forest all night with enraged ninja on the prowl. _Hells I ain't complainin'!_ I sighed noisily, picking absently at the dried mud caked on the toes of my boots. "Sooo…how come you know about this place, huh? Seems a little random ya know, you just knowin' this place was gonna be here…" I looked meaningfully at the grass bed and some of the other domestic items lying around. "…and it sorta looks like you use it a lot besides. So what's the deal, eh?"

Cloud shrugged, moving onto the next potato of the three unpeeled ones still lying to his right. "Not much to tell really. You guessed most of it back at Gold Saucer…I travel a lot when I look for artifacts for Dio." He shot me a wary look from under his brows, warning me not to pick at that topic tonight.

I pursed my lips together with a frown and bit back what I wanted to say, slightly irritated. I hadn't had a chance to question him properly about his reasons for the job. I'd mostly just lobbed accusations at him on the tram back in Gold Saucer. _I hadn't really been listenin' to him at the time…and then…then we'd…_ I closed my eyes tight against the memory. _Nope, don't go there Yuffs. Not right now._ I opened my eyes again to find Cloud gazing almost fondly around the small cavern, eyes lingering on various objects.

"I found it about eight months back when I was on a job for Dio-" He expanded softly. "-looking for a rare gemstone rumored to be buried up around near a shrine in the Nibel Mountains-"

"Did ya find it?" I blurted before I could stop myself, helplessly intrigued. As much as I'd mocked his career choice back at the Gold Saucer it did tickle a little wander-lust in me. Hunting rare objects had an exciting edge to it…_if only Cloud had been shrewd enough to make some profit off of it!_ Cloud didn't seem annoyed by the interruption, just faintly bemused.

"Of course." He gave me a wry, lopsided smile and moved onto another potato. "It wasn't worth even half as much as Dio thought it was but he seemed pleased all the same when I handed it to him. Well. Anyway-" He waved a gloved hand dismissively. "-I was trekking further up," He gestured above his head with his knife. "-through the mountains near these woods. There's snow up there, like there is in the Nibel Mnts…" He paused, glancing at me questioningly. "…you know what an avalanche is right?"

I snorted, feeling mildly insulted. "Of course! That was our team name!"

He shook his head. "No, I mean a _real _avalanche?"

"…eh?" I blinked mutely.

He laughed gruffly at my uncomprehending expression and the rare sound was like music to my starved soul. "Well it's like a landslide of snow and rocks and other mountain debris. It's a fragile world up there, anything can set one off. It was just my bad luck my PHS rang while I was wondering about up there –Tifa checking up on me, again."

I snorted loudly, incredulously and had to smother a stinging bite of jealousy; _why hadn't he given me his PHS number? He'd obviously given it to Tifa…_ "Well that was a bit _dumb_! You didn't think to put it on silent before you went wanderin' around in an avalanche prone area?" I scowled slightly as I thought back to his mention of Tifa, the familiarity in his voice. I liked Tifa a lot myself but I'd always resented the fact that she and Cloud were just so damn…close… She'd had an emotional proximity with Cloud that I'd never managed. _Damn childhood friendships. Grr._

"Yeah, I know it was stupid…I was distracted." He paused, looking unimpressed with himself for a moment. "So that set one off right under my feet and I fell a long way down, ended up right up outside of this place." He gestured around the cave again. "I was hurt by the fall and needed a place to rest…so…" He shrugged indifferently. "That's it really. It's a useful place to stay, not easy to find. I rest here sometimes when I'm traveling up this way." He leaned over to his left and dragged a medium sized, worn looking cooking pot over to the fire.

"So this is where you came then. After you escaped before I mean."

He shook his and I blinked at him blank faced, taken aback. "I went to Cid's." I couldn't help making a strained sound of surprise in my throat at that piece of news. _Cid's huh?_ I hadn't considered Spike would let that old geezer get involved in all this mess. "I couldn't risk coming here. And I couldn't take you straight to Cid's after I'd rescued you, it'd be too far with them so close on our trail. I needed to keep this place secret, so I could hide you here later. If they'd followed me and found this place they'd have known exactly where to come looking for us."

"You're right." I nodded absently, chewing over his words. "And this is pretty good hiding spot, you were lucky to find it. You must know of a lot of places like this? Seems like you've been pretty much everywhere, right Spike?"

He shrugged. "I guess."

"…So how come you never visited me in Wutai?"

Cloud frowned intently at me over the pot he was now tipping chopped vegetables into. "Who says I didn't?" I sat up at that, overwhelmingly surprised. _Perhaps Cloud hadn't been as indifferent to me since Meteor as I'd always thought. _"I stopped by a while back but everyone there said you'd gone. No one knew where and your father lost interest in me as soon as he found out I had no idea where you were either. He seemed pretty mad…" He left it hanging but I could sense the probing questioning in his eyes and voice.

I avoided his gaze, tilting my head so my bangs slid forward to hide my eyes, staring hard at the dusty ground. _Sooo…he knew more than I gave him credit for. But… not everything, not by a long shot. I knew Godo wouldn't tell an outsider about private problems concerning Wutai or his unruly daughter…but Cloud was smart, he must've drawn his own conclusions by now. I'm just lucky he's giving me a chance to explain __**before **__he rains holy hell down on me!_

"Heh…that's Godo for ya…" Unfortunately my voice didn't sound quite as offhand as I'd intended. _More nervous than offhand…_ _Ah well, you knew it was coming Yuffs…might as well face it now; Leviathan knows you owe Spike an explanation._

I jumped as I felt the cool leather of Cloud's gloved hand suddenly gripping my forearm, gently but firmly, as he pulled me round to face him. _Huh? When did he move? He-he's so close…_ His other hand came to my chin, tilting my nervous gaze up from his chest to meet his calm, deeply serious expression.

His mouth was tilted slightly in a mirthless half-smile, eerie blue eyes stubbornly fixed on mine. I didn't dare look away. His soft voice was like velvet rough knife in the silence and flickering firelight all around us.

"How about you start from the beginning?" He suggested quietly.

I nodded and swallowed the large anxious knot that had formed in my throat, resigning myself finally to what had been a long time due…

_But before that…first things first…_

I closed the distance between us quickly, before I chickened out and changed my mind. I gave him a clumsy hug, burying my face awkwardly into his chest.

"Thanks." I whispered gruffly against the ribbed fabric of his shirt, meaning it.

"…For what?"

"Coming back for me." I replied simply, closing my eyes tight.

After a moment I felt him slowly, haltingly, return the embrace.

* * *

A/N: Thanks muchly to those who have reviewed. :)

* * *


	6. Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

**Eyes Wide Open**

_Chapter 6_

'**Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea'**

* * *

"Well, here goes I guess."

Opposite me Cloud's face was impassive, his gaze fixed expectantly upon me as I fumbled for a beginning to a story I was less than reluctant to tell.

"After the Midgar clean-up, right after Meteor, that's was where it all started really. Things…weren't so great after we went our separate ways. Well…I can't speak for anyone else but I was pretty bummed. I mean, what the heck are you supposed to do after you'd just saved the fricken' planet? Go back to your day job like nothin' amazing ever happened in your life? And I didn't even have a day job to speak of…unless stealing Materia counts." Cloud made no response to that but it didn't bother me since it was _mostly_ rhetorical anyway. "So, lacking options, I went back to Wutai.

It was okay at first. Everyone was real pleased to see me, especially after having so recently conquered the Pagoda. It seemed I'd earnt myself a reputation. No one had ever really taken me seriously before that, so it made a nice change. It was great to catch up with people and to sort out the mess I'd left behind, tie up loose ends…that sorta thing." I smiled faintly at the thought of those early days; time spent lazing on the sun warmed statues of Da Chao gazing out across Wutai, the cliffs beyond and daydreaming. And then idling in the tranquil evenings at the Happy Turtle before ambling home to lie in bed with all my cats curled up companionably around me, thinking about my future and what I wanted out of life now that my life was no longer in danger of going anywhere anytime soon. Or so I'd naively thought anyway. There are many ways to ruin a life… "I hadn't been back in Wutai barely two weeks before Godo began his campaign…or maybe siege is a better word for it – the man was relentless. Everyday there he was without fail to preach at me, chiseling away at my resolve with rants on heritage, tedious lectures on the pride and history of the Kisaragi line. And then inevitably, when that didn't work, came the harsh ultimatums and threats; disowned, banished, stripped of the family name if I didn't conform. I was thoroughly sick of him before the first day was even over."

I tried to put my feelings about it all into words; my frustration, my anger at the sudden, chafing restraints on my freedom. The suspicions… _Had Godo been planning it all since my last visit with AVALANCHE_? I immediately regretted having kicked so much ass at the Pagoda previously, it was possible I may have actually made him sit up and take some undesired notice of me.

"It only got worsewhen I realized I couldn't go anywhere in town without my every move bein' watched with unnaturally avid interest. When I attempted to trek up into the mountains I would find myself havin' to share the trip with a gaggle of dad's grim faced underlings, tagging along uninvited with the flimsy excuse that I required a personal bodyguard. Unfortunately for them I wasn't stupid. I clued on pretty quick exactly what they were about."

Suddenly all the things that had made Wutai _home _previously were denied me, all those simple pleasures. Like trekking up to the Wu Shu waterfall or the hot springs where I had used to go skinny dipping and fishing. In happier times I'd have sunbathed naked on the warm rocks in the baking summer heat for hours, eating thick ripe fruit till I inevitably puked because I never knew when to stop when I had access to a good thing. But I could hardly go and do that anymore; nothing kills the mood more than being babysat by a half dozen beefy, surly looking forty some-things in body armor_. _If they'd been any kind of conversationalists it might have been bearable but the most I could ever get out of them was a gruff grunt, a vague expression of disapproval or a decidedly shifty eyed look that spoke volumes.

"The knowledge that I was trapped, watched and pretty much surrounded by my dad's henchman on an island that was supposed to be _home_ had slowly begun to dawn on me. I watched the horizon for boats daily, thinking I might hitch a lift back to the Western continent but suddenly even the coast seemed suspiciously devoid of boats, which made no sense since Wutai had been trading with Cosmo Canyon for _years._ "

Finally I'd accepted the truth; I was literally a prisoner on my own Island.

"It had felt like a net had been cast about me and was slowly shrinking, closing in around me with inevitable purpose. It was unbearable. I'd always had my freedom, I'd always gone wherever I wanted and did whatever I felt like. I looked after myself. And I couldn't see how it could have been any other way; my father hadn't shown any interest in me since my mother died and even before that he'd never quite been the same after the War. He'd lost a part of himself when he'd lost that battle. The man who'd used to swing me squealing up into his arms and then hang me squirming upside down, laughing, was gone and replaced with some grim statue that drank, moped and brooded far too much. The loneliness had made me belligerent, unpredictable and intensely independent. I took a certain fierce pride in doing things others said I couldn't, as if to say 'See? I don't _need_ you anyway!'. And then to suddenly be the focus of so much interest from a man who'd barely looked twice at me since I was nine years old was bewildering. I couldn't understand why Godo was in such a rush to give me all that power. Did he think retirement might grant him more time to cultivate his very special relationship with his sake cups?"

Cloud cleared his throat loudly and I realized I'd fallen quiet, lost in thought as I scowled into the fire.

"…You escaped?" Cloud prompted; his quiet, steady voice a soft inquiring murmur. I nodded soberly, grudgingly picking up the story again.

"Understandably, I started to get a bit desperate. Time was running out. Because I would not voluntarily become the Wutai's successor, I was literally being forced into it against my will. Guarded day and night until the ceremony where I was to be frog marched through the proceedings like some sort of puppet. There was no way I could let that happen but I was cutting it pretty close. It was the night before the inauguration ceremony that I managed to slip away. Godo'd already started dropping meteor-sized hints about marriage by that point. He argued that it was for my own good, that it was high time I settled down, but to me it just seemed like he wanted yet another leash of control over me. Enough was enough - I escaped. It wasn't easy…I had to knock out quite a few guards you see…" I trailed off and coughed sheepishly. Cloud rolled his eyes heavenward as though he'd expected as much from me.

"I've defied and shamed my father and Wutai." I continued in a quiet voice, feeling a pang of something akin to regret. Not that I had my freedom but what it'd cost me, being forever estranged from my home. "I'm as good as outcast now. I have no clue what Godo would do to me if he ever got me back to Wutai again. Or even why he wants me back…" Aso's smirking face popped into my head abruptly and I ran a suddenly nervous hand roughly back through my tangled hair, trying to banish it and the ugly connotations his involvement in this whole mess had away. I cleared my throat awkwardly and continued."South down the island, over the cliffs, there's a hidden cave in a small peninsula there. That hiding place gave me some time, a day or so, to get a raft together…thank Leviathan the weather held when I crossed the ocean or I might've ended keeping Emerald Weapon company. It would have been a sad end for the Greatest Materia Hunter the planet has ever seen."

"So, basically…Aso and those men were sent by your father to take you back to Wutai." It wasn't a question but I answered Cloud anyway.

Might as well get it all out since I'd come this far.

"Yep, I think that pretty much sums it up." I affirmed, bowing my head. There, it was done. He knew the truth. It was out of my hands now. "Unless there's something else going on here….but somehow I doubt that. I just don't get it – why _them_? As far as I can tell they're not affiliated with my father. They don't wear the Kisaragi insignia and from what I've seen so far their loyalty seems to lie solely with that cretin Aso." I grimaced at the name and out of the corner of my eye caught Cloud's expression darkening. That surprised me but I said nothing, continuing smoothly as if I hadn't seen a thing. _I'd ponder it later. _"Their faces are unfamiliar so my guess is they're from one of the other clans. There must be somethin' in this for them though otherwise I doubt they'd be lookin' for me personally and so persistently too…."

"You got that right." Cloud muttered fervently. "And what do you suppose they want out of this?"

"I think…I have an idea what it might be." I swallowed, averting my eyes from his. "But it doesn't bear thinking about."

Cloud let hang in the air for a moment but didn't push it, sensing perhaps that I wasn't ready to share that particular thought with him just yet. I didn't know why exactly but I didn't want to tell him my suspicions about Aso and the possibility of my being forced to marry him, to unite our two clans. It certainly sounded like something right up my dad's alley anyway. And that scared me more than anything. I _knew_ how Godo thought.

"Yuffie."

I turned just as Cloud's gloved hands settled heavily upon my shoulders, drawing me firmly round to face him. I was forced to gaze up into the face I'd studied sneakily from afar so many times and to gaze into those eerie, MAKO enhanced eyes. I wriggled uncomfortably under the weight of that gaze. They definitely weren't the kind of eyes you could gaze into soul searchingly.

Cloud's grip abruptly tightened and he dragged me brusquely closer.

"H-hey, what are-"

"Listen now. I have to get something off of my chest before we go any further." He shook me once, firmly, surprising me into silence. His eyes _burned_ into mine. "- Yuffie Kisaragi you are a _complete _and utter IDIOT!"

_Huh?_ I blinked uncomprehendingly up at him. Cloud shook his head, fingers flexing in their grip on my shoulders.

"I was right the first time. You _lied_ to me. Even after you fed me all that crap after Costa about how you'd changed-"

"I HAVE changed!" I blurted with a petulant, contrary whine. "It's not that I didn't _want_ to tell you, I just_ couldn't_. I thought you'd just dump me out there in the middle of nowhere. I've had those goons on my case for over a year now - a year for gawds sake! I just wanted a friendly shoulder to lean on for a bit…I just…thought, with what we've been through in the past and all…that maybe thatshouldercouldbeyours." I finished in a very quiet voice, words strung together in a rush and accompanied by an incriminating blush. _Dammit._

Slowly, I dragged my eyes up to his. Cloud sighed heavily, his exasperation with me apparent. A moment later his grip relaxed and he released me; I could sag back against the cave wall once more and concentrate on trying not to feel too much like a fool.

"If you'd just asked for my help, like a NORMAL friend…" Cloud shook his head again, clearly despairing of me_._ "Maybe I would've just helped you because you're my friend and you'd asked me…didn't that occur to you?" He slumped back beside me so we were shoulder to shoulder against the cave wall, our legs stretched out before us; mine noticeably shorter. His arms were folded stiffly against his chest, eyes cast sideways so he could see my sullen profile. "But I should have at least been able to decide for myself…I don't have a choice now. Everything's changed since I ran into you again Yuffie. Nothing makes sense anymore."

"Eh?" I eyed him questioningly out of the corner of my eye, not sure I quite understood what I was hearing. "You could just leave me here you know…I...I won't hold it against you." I swallowed the knot in my throat and squeezed out a reassuringly smile. My facial muscles refused to comply however, it looked tellingly strained.

There was a moment of tense, brooding silence in reply to my question. As always, I got impatient.

"Well _why_ then? Why can't you just go? You're a free person, you don't owe me anythin'! We can still be friends even if you don't stick around here. I'm not so selfish that I can't recognize when somethin' is my own problem and my own gawddamn fault."

Another long, pregnant pause, and then…his blues eyes flickered suddenly sideways to mine, full of exasperation and annoyance.

"Just…don't you _get it_ yet? You could work it out if you really wanted to, it's pretty damn obvious." He ground out, his gaze as maddeningly cryptic as his words. His lips twitched wryly. "You're the great Yuffie Kisaragi of Wutai after all, right?"

_What the heck did he mean by THAT piece of obscure word vomit?_

That complicated look was on his face again, the one I'd seen on his face countless times since we'd bumped into each other back in Costa. He kept flinging it at me at the most random moments and I still couldn't for the life of me understand what he meant by it; what he was trying to communicate without actually saying anything significant. _What does he expect me to do? Osmose the answers outta that thick head of his? Do I LOOK like a psychic Malboro?_

"Fine." I huffed, turning my back on him and gazing moodily into the slowly dwindling fire. "If you're gonna be like THAT! Hmph!"

"'Hmph' is never a respectable comeback." Cloud informed me diffidently and a moment later I heard the heavy scuff of his boots as he moved away and begin washing the bowls we'd used for dinner. _What the heck? Can't the man __**focus**__? We were having an IMPORTANT chat and NOW he starts with the domestic routine?_ The discussion seemed to be over…but what had been accomplished? There seemed to be more questions now than ever.

I glanced sulkily over my shoulder, shiftily sneaking a glance at him.

"…Are we ok then, Cloud?" I had to know.

Cloud glanced over from where he was wiping a rag over our rinsed bowls and then stacking them neatly near the basin, pausing to flick some hair out of his eyes. He didn't smile and his slight one shoulder shrug wasn't much of a peace offering but we'd clearly moved out of the danger zone. Immediately a tight weight eased in my chest. _He's sticking by me._

_But what about the Chakra Materia…?_ I tensed slightly at the sudden shifty thought and averted my gaze quickly to the far wall_. _Tell Cloud about the Chakra materia_?'No way! He'd never forgive me for it. If I can just fix this on my own, it won't matter anyway that I never mentioned it..._ Rubbing my knuckles wearily across my eyes I knew I had to address this issue sooner or later.

At least this explained why he'd come back for me anyway.

I shivered at the thought of him tormented with thoughts of me until he couldn't stand it anymore. Mind and body pulled unwittingly in my direction by some giant invisible magnet. The thought was bad enough but accompanied with the mental image I had to suppress a hysterical laugh that was half sob. I closed my eyes against the horror of these thoughts, pressing the palms of my hands hard against my eyelids and shaking my head slightly in denial I could no longer afford to entertain._ If that were true…he'd be no more than a robot or a zombie, doomed to be at my beck and call for all eternity. _A few weeks ago thoughts like that would have amused and pleased me no end but the reality was totally awful and frankly sickened me to my stomach. _Leviathan's balls, how could I have been so immature…first stealing the damn thing and then fantasizing about actually using it-_

"Yuffie?"

Vaguely I came back to myself, hearing Cloud's gruff voice as if from a distance.

"Yuffs?"

He shook my shoulder a little and I glanced up toward him, into that uncomfortably penetrating gaze. It seemed to slice me wide open, spilling out my secret. I swallowed dryly, blinking back the fear of discovery. _No, it's ok._ _Not even MAKO can do that…_ As if sensing the terrible conflict within me Cloud's eyes seemed to soften slightly, his clenched hand relaxing into a warm solid weight on my shoulder. I watched wordlessly as he turned and knelt down next to his backpack, tugging free his bedroll a moment later. He glanced back over briefly.

"We'd better get some sleep. We'll have to mosey on first thing tomorrow; they'll find this place sooner or later. I don't think we want to be here when that happens."

"Uh huh…" My stomach turned over at the thought of seeing Aso, my would-be beau, again. Personally, I would rather lick Heidegger's big toe_._

Mechanically, feeling oddly numb, I pulled my bedroll out of my bedraggled backpack, immediately wrinkling my nose at the musty, unpleasant smell that wafted up from it. Nonetheless I unrolled it onto the area of ground that contained the ragged pile of dry leaves and grass, resigned to sleeping on something that smelt like a Chocobo stall in need of a good clean. _Wait, if this is what my bedroll smells like I dread to think what_** I**_ reek of… _The thought was less than encouraging.

_I never did get that bath. _I lamented wistfully, not at all enthused by the way the fabric of my bedroll rasped unappealingly under my hands._ Why couldn't Cloud have rescued me AFTER I'd washed?_ He had a goddamn _lousy_ sense of timing sometimes. But then of course he would've seen me entirely in the buff rather than just semi-naked and that would've made his rescue about ten times more embarrassing.

Cloud's bedroll suddenly flopped down on the ground next to mine…RIGHT next to mine, overlapping considerably. I stared dumbly at this suggestive new development as he moved away somewhere behind me to potter about with the abandoned cooking pot.

"Eh..?" I garbled incoherently and gave him my very best baffled goldfish impression. It HAD to be a mistake.

"What?"

Somehow I managed to gesture toward the two incriminating bedrolls, not trusting myself to speak.

"Oh…" Either it was my imagination or his eyes _gleamed_ for a moment. I blinked again and it was gone, just Cloud's regular blank old MAKO gaze looking back at me like I was mental. "We can't risk letting the fire burn any longer and it can get pretty chilly at night in these parts."

Cloud titled his head slightly, his task briefly forgotten; something about my expression causing him to stifle what looked suspiciously like a smirk.

What the heck? _Is he…up to something?_ When I looked again his mouth was a suspiciously flat, neutral line; his eyes a little too unreadable, almost carefully so. _Cloud, devious? Pah! Yuffie Kisaragi is officially losing her marbles. _My eyes slid back to my bed mat and I shook my head fervently. Finished with clearing up, Cloud ambled over with complete ease and a decided lack of unbothered-ness that I envied deeply.

"If we want to survive the night we're going to have to snuggle close." He told me simply, face betraying nothing.

_Snuggle…__**snuggle?**_

I blinked several times, distantly aware that I was staring goggle eyed at the bizarre creature that'd just replaced Cloud Strife. A creature who said words like 'snuggle'. Never mind the fact that I'd have to 'snuggle' with the one guy who made any coherent thought of mine pack it's bags and take a vacation to lala-land every time he was in the vicinity_…Had Spike really just said the word SNUGGLE? Were rainbow colored Chocobos leaping over the moon? Was Reno actually ironing his suit somewhere - sober?_

"Um. I thought that survival stuff was just for places like the Great Glacier?" I tried, feebly grasping at the first excuse I could come up with.

"It can get pretty cold in these parts too, trust me." Cloud countered smoothly, settling down comfortably on his sleeping mat and essentially cutting off further protests. "Better safe than sorry."

And that was that. My fate sealed. Stiffly I lay down on my bed mat, my back to my would-be man-blanket as he shifted onto one elbow briefly to smother the dwindling camp fire with a booted foot. It went out with an sullen hiss, plunging us into a darkness that seemed swollen with possibility. I shifted uneasily, palms suddenly moist.

'_Why this? It HAS to be because of that damned Chakra…there's no other explanation for it. Unless…'_ My expression became a little hopeful in the dark. _…Unless it really IS because of the cold… Oh hells I wish I knew what to think…' _Cloud was so incomprehensible normally that I had no idea how to tell him apart from a possibly Chakra influenced Cloud. They both seemed unpredictable, slightly batshit insane and yet possessed of a cool logic as impenetrable as a lead cube.

Vaguely, I wondered if I'd get ANY sleep that night. Somehow, I doubted it.

"…Comfortable?"

I flinched, startled at the sound of Cloud's voice; so close that it was a velvety rumble.

It was a soft questioning unnervingly close to my ear, his warm breath ghosting with alarming intimacy across my left cheek. I didn't speak at first, knowing if I did it'd come out as a ridiculously high pitched gibber. Curled up stiffly on my side I steadfastly tried and spectacularly failed to ignore the arm that he'd flung all too casually over my waist when he'd initially spooned up unapologetically close behind me. And his hand, _oh gawd his hand… _large, slightly calloused and warm, it rested with cavalier familiarity on my stomach_. _I cleared my throat a little too loudly; my eyes were flung so wide open that I was sure the whites of them were gleaming hugely in the dark like beacons of unease.

"Yes, yes! Absolutely and totally in an utterly supreme state of relaxedness!" I gabbled in a rush, nodding a little too vigorously. I promptly tensed up as much as was humanely possible. Apparently satisfied Cloud hummed noncommittally and, in extreme contrast, relaxed; shifting closer. If it weren't for our travel-ragged clothes we'd easily be skin to skin.

I gulped audibly. It was my best most secret dream but now it was also my worst most feared nightmare combined.

_It's just the Chakra. It's just the Chakra. _I chanted the mantra repeatedly inside my head but the effect was somewhat ruined by another, more insistent, overlying chant; '_CLOUD STRIFE IS __**SPOONING**__ ME. CLOUD STRIFE IS __**SPOONING**__ ME. GAH.'_

The obscene distraction in question sighed; breath puffing against the nape of my neck and causing the sensitive hairs there stand to attention like SOLDIERS, First Class. I tried to budge a bit and put a little space between our bodies; his one armed embrace automatically tightened.

_Okay, bad idea._

Cloud shifted a little against me, 'hmmm'-ing sleepily. The sound sent my stomach doing Olympic back flips. _Control, control…CONTROL! It's up to me now to protect Cloud's virtue!_ Admittedly the thought sounded ridiculous but I kept firmly reminding myself that he wasn't aware of his actions. The Chakra materia had done a number on him, had turned my usually stoic friend into a raging Yuffie-phile. He didn't realize what he was doing would make the normal Cloud Strife, un-influenced and in-possession-of-his-own- (fairly)-sane-mind, take a flying leap off the edge of the Highwind and into the gaping maw of the Northern Crater in horror. So I HAD to get a grip and _try_ not to encourage it. Unfortunately Cloud wasn't being particularly cooperative. _Oh hells… _As long as I didn't unwittingly instigate anything the Chakra's influence could do no more damage. At least, I hoped that was the case. I doubted my conscience, fragile as it was these days, could suffer another blow.

I grit my teeth, my eyes shut tight as I vainly tried to resist the temptation to reciprocate Cloud's warm embrace. After a time, listening to Cloud's breathing as it eventually slowed and evened out into deep sleep, I managed to find respite myself although at what price to my sanity and resolve it came I cannot say.

* * *

Cloud and I had been trekking through the rain soaked and mud slicked plains for a fair chunk of the day after a considerably awkward start.

I hadn't really known what to do when I'd awoken the following morning cuddled up deeply in Cloud's warm and distractingly muscular embrace like some kind of human sized plushie doll. Cloud slept like the dead or as though he'd been hit with ten sleep spells at once. After several failed attempts at extracting myself I settled for slathering one index finger with a generous amount of saliva and then sticking it forcefully into his right ear. This method might've worked a little too well in retrospect. I'd have to remind myself to never awaken genetically altered-super strong Sephiroth clones from whatever deep dark maudlin place they go to in their sleep with that method in future; one moment Cloud was snoring softly with me curled up red faced and disgruntled in his arms and the next he had me pinned to the floor and ready to force feed the Ultima blade to me like a giant flaming blue hotdog, his MAKO eyes narrowed to dangerous blazing slits of violent blue.

I may have neglected to mention this before but Cloud is definitely NOT a morning person. Much like shutting Vincent & Hojo up in a small windowless room together mornings and Cloud are not a good combination; his overall crabbiness could fill the Northern Crater with little room to spare. Despite having nearly shoved a blade the size of a miniature mast down my wind pipe moments before the only apology forthcoming was a gruffly mumbled 'S'ry' and a detached I'm-going-to-go-hide-in-my-mind-now expression. I was not impressed.

We abandoned the cave after a rushed breakfast of dried fruit and nuts of which I complained bitterly over every bite; it felt like a millennia since I'd eaten some REAL food.

We gave up on much of any conversation soon after we'd abandoned the little cave; a harsh, roaring wind from the east tore our words away the moment they left our mouths. Shouting over it was a strain. We had a few encounters with the creatures that naturally roamed the plains but thankfully no run-ins with our pursuers. Strangely, I found that even more worrying than if we' actually spotted them or had a confrontation. The atmosphere seemed pregnant with unease, fogged with anticipation.

It was early afternoon, although due to the dark rain clouds scudding shiftily over head it looked more like evening, by the time we dragged our feet wearily into Rocket Town. The sight of the empty rocket launch pad stirred a little sadness in me. I hadn't thought I'd ever be sad to see that old rocket gone but…wonders never cease.

Unfortunately, I couldn't say the same about Cid.

Either the passing year or so since defeating Sephiroth had aggravated Cid Highwind's less than savoury personality or time had dulled my own memory significantly; the ex-pilot's first words when he opened his door to sight of Cloud and I (pale, bedraggled and dripping rainwater onto his front porch) had been a string of violent expletives interspersed with aggressive puffs on the half chewed cigarette that seemed to hang perpetually out of the corner of his mouth. He looked much as I remembered, except perhaps a little more rumpled and irritable; as though he'd fallen asleep in his day clothes and woken prematurely from a particularly good dream; which, let's face it, would put anyone in a ratty mood. His blondish hair, sans goggles for once, was tufty and uncombed and he scrubbed a hand roughly over it with a scowl when he sensed my critical appraisal.

The outside of his little house was exactly as I remembered it albeit, like Cid, slightly more worn and unkempt in appearance. There were, if possible, even more discarded plane parts lying around in varying stages of decay or repair. I could just see the vague outline of the Highwind's hull hovering in the clouds high overhead, a narrow rain slicked rope ladder pegged to the ground flailing wildly in the heavy wind.

"And what the heck do you two want?" Cid demanded without preamble once he'd finished cussing, blocking entry to his home with narrowed eyes and a determined set to his jaw.

"Somewhere to stay." Cloud replied just as bluntly with the unmistakeable air of a man mentally preparing himself to lay siege to a fortress. "We'll be out of your hair by morning."

"I thought I told ya yesterday not to show your sorry ass around here for at least 'nother month…especially if you're draggin' her-" Cid jabbed a thumb in my direction, still glaring unrelentingly at Cloud's impassive face. "-scrawny butt along with ya."

I bristled, immediately opening my mouth to crush the rude, unkempt boor with a put down that was suitably scathing. Cloud's sudden, warning grip on my wrist stopped me. With difficulty I swallowed my retort and toed the floor sulkily. _Oh alright Spike…I'll let you handle this one_. Cloud's grip immediately relaxed although he didn't release my wrist completely.

Although ordinarily as obtuse as a giant lead cube unfortunately this time Cid didn't fail to notice the gesture, his brows raising slightly as he eyed Cloud's hand and then the telltale red flush quickly spreading across my traitorous cheeks. A small smirk twisted one side of his mouth, his hard blue eyes glinting shrewdly. _Probably congratulating himself on discovering some good blackmail material, the jerk._ I thought, furious with myself for blushing. He'd clearly drawn some outrageous conclusion about the two of us. My scowl automatically deepened.

"We wouldn't have come here if it wasn't important." Cloud stated grimly, eyes narrowing as they flickered briefly in my direction.

"It's something to do with the kid, ain't it?" Cid griped, eyeing me distastefully. Cloud's tense silence indicated an affirmative. "Why should I help her out? Last time I saw her she barfed all over the side of my airship."

_Gawd he was bringing THAT up? That was YEARS ago!_ _The guy had a chip on his shoulder a mile wide!_

I gaped at him incredulously, briefly shooting Cloud an outraged look of_ 'can you believe this asshat?'. _When Cloud failed to sympathise I huffed loudly and crossed my arms over my chest, feeling slightly victimized. There was no way I could let _that_ one go.

"That was nearly two years ago you anal retentive jerk! And if you didn't drive like a fricken' maniac I would've been able to control myself!"

As expected Cid immediately bristled defensively.

"There ain't nothin' wrong with my drivin'! I've been a pilot since before your worthless butt was _born_-"

"And when was that huh? A million years ago ya big old dinosaur?"

"Will the both of you just SHUT _up_." Cloud interrupted angrily, startling us both into silence. "We can't just stand around arguing all night.".

Obedient as chastised kids Cid and I clamped our mouths shut simultaneously and settled for glaring.

"Look…" Cloud continued wearily. "Things have changed since yesterday, the situation's a lot more serious than I first thought. And we've been travelling in the rain _all_ day. It doesn't look like it's gonna let up anytime soon-" As if to emphasize his words a bolt of lightning snaked silver bright in the distance, followed by the ominous rumble of thunder. The rain seemed to pour down even harder around us. Cloud grimaced, running a weary hand through the rain-limp spikes of hair hanging across his eyes before he continued. "- just this once, help out a couple of old friends." Cid snorted loudly at that, glaring at me incredulously. I glared right back, with interest.

"Cid?" Cloud prompted and the old pilot's eyes shifted away from mine to the rain pouring down harder all around us, the sky overhead that had already begun to darken.

There was a long, tense silence in which Cid frowned at lot and chewed his cigarette thoughtfully; eyes flicking between the two of us. I wished he'd just hurry his grumpy ass up and say yea or nay because quite frankly I was as uncomfortable as a person could be. I squirmed, becoming impatient. Water squelched between my toes unpleasantly, the insides of my boots woefully saturated and rainwater tracked a steady path from my sopping hair past the neckline of my bedraggled t-shirt, pooling ice cold between my breasts and the base of my shivering spine. At last, with a frustrated growl, I shook Cloud's hand off and snatched up my limp rucksack from where I'd dumped it onto the porch earlier. Slinging it angrily onto my shoulder I half turned from Cid's infuriating presence to gaze meaningfully up at Cloud's disapproving face.

"Yuffie…" He began, his tone begging for patience.

"Just forget it Spike, we don't need gramps so-called hospitality." I shot a Cid a contemptuous look, enjoying the way his face immediately reddened with anger. "Besides, if he wants to be an antisocial ass then all the more fun for me, I can finally show Shera those _pictures_…"

"_Pictures?"_ Cid and Cloud exclaimed simultaneously; one with growing horror, the other with honest bafflement.

"Oh!" With feigned surprise I titled my head _just so _and blinked up at Cloud innocently, ignoring Cid's spluttered protests from behind. "I thought you _knew _about those! I guess this'll be a _double _exposure then." Glancing over one shoulder to Cid I summoned the biggest and most obnoxious smile I could muster. "Pink really suits you Cid, I'm sure Spike will agree with me. And who knew you'd look so cute with that little-"

"Enough!" Cid practically howled, leaping forward and clamping a labour-roughened hand desperately over my mouth in one clumsy movement to forestall anymore dirty secrets spewing forth. His hand then fisted in the back of my filthy T-shirt where he promptly began to drag me not at all gently backwards toward the open doorway. "Alright! Anything you want, just keep yer GODDAMN trap shut!"

"Gramps, really, there's nothing to be ashamed of." I laughed, making no effort to keep the impish grin off my face. "I hear lots of guys like to indulge in _that_ sort of thing now and then. Just ask Barret-"

"Shuttit you blackmailin' little worm and get ya scrawny ass in here before I change my mind." He spat, looking unhappy but resigned. "I'll show you Highwind hospitality!"

On that ominous note he released me abruptly and then stomped angrily away into the house, leaving a trail of muttered swear words in his wake. It was as much of a welcome as we were going to get. Of course…I didn't actually have the pictures on me but Cid didn't know that. They were tucked safely away in a locked chest back at my little house in Wutai, waiting to be copied for future blackmail. All Cid _did_ know was that sometime during our time chasing Sephiroth across the face of the planet I'd snuck into his cabin on the Highwind quite late one night after he'd passed out oblivious on his rumpled bed(after one of his and Barrett's late night poker games where alcohol featured quite prominently). At the time I'd only meant it as a harmless prank, dressing him in an old pink nightie I'd discovered gathering dust in the closet in the cabin I'd shared with Tifa. It was a wonder I'd even managed to get photos of him sprawled limply on his bed in naught but the nightie and his flight goggles – I'd laughed so hard my chest _hurt_.

_Ah. Happy memories._

"Ha! Aren'tcha glad you've got someone as resourceful as me around, huh? Huh?" I turned to where Cloud stood with arms folded, prodded him in the chest with one finger and grinned.

Cloud's answer was a raised brow and a slight, acquiescent shake of his head; his face otherwise impassive as he grabbed up his pack and swept past me into the house without comment.

"Hey! Don't'cha even wanna know what the pictures were? I'll give ya a free peak since it's you an' all! What kind of a freak passes up an offer like that! _Eh?_!"

If Cloud heard me he didn't deign to reply.

_Bah. _I huffed slightly to myself before I followed_. Well, he could have at least said thanks!_

I found Cloud and Cid in the kitchen, along with a sullen silence and the faint smell of apple pie. My stomach rumbled pointedly but if Cid noticed he ignored it and instead favoured Cloud with a glowering, put-upon look. Cid obviously didn't entertain much these days. Hardly surprisin' really…if I were as grouchy and foul-mouthed as him I doubt anyone would wanna visit me either. And what was with the engine grease smears all over his shirt? Ew-ness. Didn't he own anything CLEAN? Leviathan knows he could afford , unlike me, hadn't been travelling for several weeks so he really had no excuse. I let my pack slide to floor with a moist thump and leant back against the closed door, feeling so weary I was sure even my bones were yawning.

"Well don't let me interrupt the party." I muttered sarcastically at the room's two sullen occupants and the heavy silence that surrounded them.

"Brat." Cid acknowledged my presence gruffly, sliding his half chewed cigarette to the other side of his mouth before going right back to scowling at Cloud.

I rolled my eyes at that, "Ugh..." and sent Cloud a look of pure annoyance which he didn't even see, absorbed in the rain splattered window with its neat if faded curtains, frowning at it like it was some kind of optical puzzle.

_Why why why Cid's?_ I moaned inwardly, wondering how the hell I was going to get through the next few hours without strangling the guy. _Surely there must be somewhere else we could've stayed? For a start, what's wrong with the perfectly serviceable goddamn INN just down the street?_

Cloud ignored the pained looks I was sending him and wordlessly helped himself to a chair at the small kitchen table, immediately looking exceedingly ridiculous against the lacy floral tablecloth. Shera's touch of course. Cid's contribution to home décor consisted mainly of randomly scattered machine parts and half painted miniature models of planes and rockets, one of which hung lopsided and vaguely absurd from the middle of the cracked ceiling. On the far wall of the living room a large worn pin board sagged under the weight of numerous newspaper cuttings and photographs, a few of which featured a youngish looking Cid shaking hands with important looking Shinra peeps and looking thoroughly pleased with himself. Further along glass displays of dusty Materia, Accessories and Weapons that I faintly recognised from our travels together took up most of the length of one wall. Cid's painstakingly gathered 1/35 soldier collection had pride of place, displayed on the far wall over a tiny, ancient looking TV set. I could see Shera plainly in the lacy doilies, pottery and flower arrangements scattered about the room but especially in a crocheted throw cast over the lumpy green couch. It was obvious in one glance of the room that two hugely different people shared the same living space. And it was not a sight I particularly wanted to be confronted with after being pursued by ninjas all day in the rain.

I tore my faintly horrified gaze away from the décor and glanced instead at Cid who although grumpy and unkempt as always was at least sort of normal looking. Hunched back against the kitchen counter, arms crossed irritably over his chest he scowled between where Cloud sat nonchalantly and where I loitered near the doorway as though unsure who deserved the majority of his ill temper.

The grouchy pilot of my nightmares seemed to shake himself into motion at last, turning away to the countertop and grabbing the nearby kettle with unnecessary force. He plonked it violently down on the little stove. A match was struck quickly on the scuffed heel of one boot and then the stove lit. Three cups clattered soon after, followed by angrily flung tea bags. After which he cleared his throat awkwardly and it was plain he was making an effort to be civil because when he spoke his voice came out sounding stiff but almost conversational.

"So…are you two gonna tell me what the hell this is all about?" He asked of us both as he waited for the dented kettle to heat up, although his flinty blue gaze remained fixed expectantly on Cloud for the answer. "When Strife turned up here yesterday I suspected somethin' bad was goin' down – you looked like shit, frankly. Still do." He added, pointedly eyeing Cloud's ragged clothes and pale, generally mud splattered appearance. Cloud didn't bat an eyelash, just gazed back at Cid steadily. It was hard to tell whether he was even listening, he was THAT impassive. "Look I don't mind helpin'…" Cid blathered on, trying to fill the tense silence. "-that's not why I'm pissed right now. It's just – we never used to keep secrets like this from each other. We were a team once upon a time. We could be a team again… I still have the Venus Gospel ya know."

Cloud said nothing, merely hunched further into his seat looking vaguely uncomfortable.

As for myself, my eyes widened slightly at this news, my heart thumping a little faster at the help Cid was offering. Despite his grating personality he'd been a good fighter, a good team player and leader when need be. Probably still was. With him we might actually have a better chance against my dad's goon squad… I glanced over at Cloud, hoping for a clue as to his thoughts on this. He had yet to reply to Cid's offer; it hung in the air between us all, waiting for one of us to claim it.

Cloud's eyes rose from the table to meet mine slowly and I saw his answer there in the slight narrowing of his gaze and the subtle shake of his head. I slumped back against the door, defeated. So…Cloud didn't want anyone else involved. _Is he protecting Cid? Or me?_ I wondered as I finally turned to face the man in question, shaking my head in a weary negative.

"Sorry gramps…no offence and all, we appreciate the offer, but we gotta do it this way. Just us two." The anger was building in Cid's eyes again, his hand clenching tellingly about the handle of the kettle as it began to whistle. I drew in a shaky breath, choosing my next words carefully lest I wound up brained to death via dented kettle on Cid's scummy linoleum. "When it's all over we'll explain it all, ok, but for now…you've just gotta trust us. We have to go alone."

I bit my lip and waited, hoping he'd sense my sincerity. At last the tension seemed to deflate out of him and he merely nodded tightly and grunted gruffly. He returned to making the tea once more, his movements no longer angry but his back a little stiff with displeasure.

"Have it your way, kid." He flung over one hunched shoulder. "Just don't come cryin' to me if all your limbs get hacked off and strung up in a tree somewhere."

"As if!" I scoffed.

There was tense silence for a while, interspersed with the odd scuff of Cloud's booted feet and the clatter of spoon against mug as Cid busied himself with the teapot. His efforts didn't look very appetizing.

_He actually expects me to drink that?_

"I don't want tea, gramps." I muttered at last. "I don't even _like_ tea."

Cid rounded on me and spluttered wordlessly for a moment.

"What the hell do you mean you _don't like tea_? You're Wutaiin for Holy's sake, tea's a goddamn prerequisite." Cid whirled round in a storm of muttered swearwords and a moment later a steaming mug filled with unappealingly milky liquid was plonked roughly down on the table. "Jus' siddown, shuttup and drink it, alright."

I ignored the mug. "What do you know about my culture, anyways? The one time you visited Wutai you thought the Pagoda was some sort of day spa! You should be thanking me for correcting you before you'd asked Chekhov for a massage or somethin'."

Cid flushed crimson with embarrassment.

"Shut yer mouth!"

"Or what-"

"Or _I'll_-"

"How long are you both planning on carrying on like this for?" Cloud spoke up suddenly, startling us both into silence. It had been overlong since he'd last spoken, the sound of his voice now resounded oddly in the little room. He ran a gloved palm across one side of his face, pausing to rub his jaw in a slow, worn out sort of way. "Because if you're gonna be a while I think I'll go sleep now and let you get on with it."

"He started it." I grumped, plonking myself down next to Cloud and watching sulkily as Cid sagged moodily down into the remaining chair, opposite the two of us. He immediately wrinkled his nose and recoiled; features contorted with deep disgust.

"What in Holy's name have you two been _doin'_? No, wait – I don't wanna know…urgh, yer stink like Chocobo dung." He all but leapt out of the chair and stomped toward the door leading away to an adjoining corridor. "And you're DRIPPIN' all over my rug too!" He shook a finger meaningfully at the floor around our feet where, indeed, a large puddle had formed. "You'd better shower before you sleep - I'm not havin' you two stink the whole house up!"

"I don't think it'd make much difference to be honest." I muttered mutinously and abruptly received Cloud's sharp elbow in my side. "OW. Dammit."

Cid rolled his eyes, stubbed his cigarette out roughly in the nearby ashtray but miraculously _did not_ rise to the bait for once.

"I've had enough of this crap for one night, I'm goin' to bed…"

His angry footsteps became distant and then a door slammed, leaving Cloud and I alone in the little kitchen. Our tea lay untouched before us. Cloud pushed his away from him slowly with one gloved finger before folding his arms across the table top and leaning heavily upon them.

"What crept up his butt and died?" I muttered as I gazed moodily in the direction Cid had rudely disappeared.

"It's my fault." Cloud grimaced. "Although your comments didn't help.

"Sorry. I guess." I shrugged and then flapped a hand at him to carry on.

"You know I came straight here after I'd slipped away from Aso's men. Cid was hospitable enough-" I snorted at that and got an irritated look from Cloud. "- but I think he gathered something dicey was going on - he ordered me to stay away for a bit. He's not stupid…I don't really blame him for being mad at us. He's just protecting Shera and the towns people…" He rubbed one temple and closed his eyes wearily.

"That's a pretty good reason." I allowed grudgingly, tapping idly at the table top. "I guess, beneath that prickly exterior…Cid has his heart in the right place. He's still a jerk though." I added quickly. Didn't want Cloud to think I'd gone _completely_ soft after all.

"I guess so." Cloud nodded, still rubbing slowly at one temple. "I don't want to bring trouble here but we couldn't have carried on like that. Some rest and a decent meal will do a lot of good until we can figure out where to go."

"…You have a plan?" I asked hopefully, perking up.

Eyes still closed, one corner of his mouth quirked upward. He looked maddeningly smug.

"I might. Just wait and see…"

_Hmph. Well! _

"Fine fine, if you wanna be Mr Cryptic tonight, go right ahead. I'm too tired to care." I gazed sourly at him for a moment. "Although…I think I'd have rather slept in a giant mound of Chocobo refuse than _here_. Cid's even more impossible than I remember. Shera deserves a friggin' medal for puttin' up with his crap all these years..."

"Quit complaining." The corner of Cloud's mouth twitched upward again and I knew he agreed with me, although being Cloud he wouldn't say it outright of course. "Anyway, we should really get some shut eye… Something tells me tomorrow is going to be a long day."

_Jeez. You're telling me!_ I was NOT looking forward to it one bit.

His chair screeched as he pushed it back abruptly and stood, heading toward the same corridor Cid had disappeared down. He paused in the doorway, partially obscured in darkness, and glanced back at me. His eyes were a disconcerting blue gleam interrupted by blinks in the semi dark, one gloved hand resting lightly on the door frame and the other rubbing the nape of his neck in an uncertain sort of way.

"Goodnight..." He gazed at me a beat longer, lips parted and it seemed like he wanted to say something more…but then he just shook his head and moved quickly out of sight. I stared after him, letting out a whoosh of breath I hadn't realised I'd been holding. I knew I should get my ass moving too but I needed to stay put a while longer, my whole body protesting to any form of exertion.

A few minutes later I dimly heard the sound of running water and it slowly dawned on me that Cloud was obeying Cid's orders about showering. _Hm well not that I blame him, it's no fun walking around smelling like a giant glob of Marlboro mucus. _I sniffed my shirt experimentally and immediately shrank back. Hunching down slightly in my chair I attempted to turn my mind away from distracting thoughts of 'naked Cloud' and 'warm running water'. It was useless of course. I shook my head, frowning down into the now cold and somehow utterly depressing milky-ness of the tea cup before me.

_I sure have gotten myself into a helluva big mess, alright._

Absorbed in thought, I barely noticed when the door to the front porch creaked open to admit a small, mousy haired, timid looking lady wearing tortoiseshell glasses (that had quite possibly the worlds thickest lens' in them) perched upon an up-tilted nose. She was carrying several paper shopping bags filled with an assortment of groceries, of which boxes of teabags and Lucky Sevens cigarettes seemed to be most prominent. At a glance she appeared to be dressed in an old white lab coat, the fabric worn very thin, over serviceable brown cords and a plain white t-shirt that seemed to my eyes to be about two sizes too big for her; all of which were completely sopping wet. And, bizarrely, she did not appear to be the least bit aware of this fact. Hazarding a guess I thought that either the woman possessed no nervous system or was more than a little eccentric.

After a moments consideration I finally recognised her as Shera, Cid's long suffering chivvy. I'd only met ever her two times and very briefly; the last right after the Midgar clean-up when we'd thrown a big party at the makeshift bar Tifa had set up in Kalm town. My fuzzy memory of that night was due mostly to the large amounts of booze I'd pilfered from under Tifa's less than vigilant nose and then imbibed until it had suddenly occurred to me that it might be an excellent idea to climb up onto Tifa's roof and dance like a mad goblin under the moon. If I recall correctly I hadn't actually gotten round to the goblinesque dancing by the time I'd made it up there, having passed out quite soon into something like an alcoholic coma. I hadn't been 'discovered' until late the following morning when Cid had come up to roof garden for a smoke and had practically tripped over me. Seeing Shera again in the flesh though had jogged my memory enough to note that she looked pretty much exactly the same now as she had then, two years ago.

Shera's brown eyes blinked at me hugely for a few moments from behind her thick lenses before she appeared to just accept my unexpected presence in her kitchen without any need for explanation.

"Would you like some tea?" She asked politely, and waited for an answer with the patience of a statue when I just gazed at her blankly.

_Normal people say hello first, surely._ I thought, inwardly bemused. _Yep. Just a little bit round the twist, this one - we'll get along just fine._

Biting my bottom lip to stifle a laugh I pointed wordlessly at my chipped tea cup with its stone cold tea and shook my head.

"Oh." Shera sagged a little, seeming a little crestfallen at a lost opportunity to make tea.

She appeared to shrug the disappointment off gamely enough after a moment however, moving to deposit her damp grocery laden bags on counter tops permanently marked with ancient tea rings. That done she turned back to me, wringing her hands together nervously in front of her.

"Are you…hungry?" She asked tentatively, her eyes filled with hope that I would say yes.

"Yes! Oh gawd _yeah_!" I couldn't get the words out fast enough, my stomach rumbling embarrassingly loud at the sudden mention of edibles. I blushed and grinned sheepishly, eyeing her sideways through my bangs but Shera wasn't laughing at me; just nodding happily with a shy, pleased little smile on her plain face. Clearly, here stood a woman who just didn't know what to do with herself when she wasn't doing something useful.

So it was that I spent the remainder of the evening very agreeably; glutting myself shamelessly on the apple pie I'd gotten a whiff of earlier and anything else my greedy little heart desired. I was pretty sure that at least a third of Cid's well packed larder had been consumed by the time I pushed back the last plate, let out a very loud and satisfied burp and informed Shera (much to her relief) that I was full and ready to head off to sleep. She gave me one of her polite little smiles and a quiet 'goodnight' over one shoulder as she battled with the veritable mountain of dishes I'd managed to fill the sink with in my feasting.

_Man, Cloud will actually __**cry**__ when he realises what he missed_. I guffawed heartlessly to myself, imagining his devastation in the morning when I informed him of exactly what I'd scarfed in unnecessary detail. _Sucker! That's why only losers go to bed early! _

With a sleepy yawn I waddled down the hallway and somehow managed to fumble my way into the guestroom. I was fairly certain at least that both Cid and Shera's rooms were down the far end of the hall; those two doors were closed. It was really too dark to be sure but, by the thin shaft of moonlight that had slipped between the curtains, the room I'd chosen looked empty enough. So, fully clothed, I crawled clumsily onto the bed and curled up atop the patchwork coverlet. I was too exhausted to shower and too contemptuous of Cid to bring myself to care that his sheets would probably smell of the crud I was covered in come morning. _It's not like I wanted to stay here, anyway…_

Dimly I noted that the covers were unusually warm, and…_that was MY leg shifting, right? _

_Of course it was…so tired, gotta sleep. _I yawned hugely into the pillow, warm and sated like I hadn't felt in what seemed an age.

As I slipped into unconsciousness I found myself drifting into an odd dream, pierced with half-slit eyes that glowed like Materia in the dark.

* * *

"'Morning…" A familiar, sleep rough voice pierced the fog of sleep; originating from somewhere above my head.

I sat up very slowly, blinking and confused. My legs were hopelessly tangled in the too-warm coverlet and reaching one hand up I discovered my hair was flat on one side and sticking up ridiculously on the other._ Great..._

Frowning, I slowly blinked eyes that were still heavy with sleep and a hazy, half remembered dream. _Huh…was sure I heard a voice just now._

With a lazy shrug I stretched like a cat, hearing the satisfactory pop of joints. _Ugh FINALLY, some proper rest. No sleeping under trees or in the backs of caves and DEFINITELY no sleeping bound hand and foot to some uncomfortable boulder in the middle of nowhere._ I grimaced at the unwelcome memory.

Squinting at the nearby window I was cheered to see a strip of clear azure blue sky between the partially drawn curtains, completely unhampered by rain clouds. But there was an unsavoury smell hanging in the air…I winced when I realised it was _me_.

Right. _Shower. NOW._

I attempted to climb out of the rumpled sheets and to that long anticipated shower but a large, very male hand suddenly shot out from behind me and gripped my wrist, forcing me gently but firmly to flop inelegantly right back down onto the bed. I stared at the familiar hand, a hand I was used to seeing covered in a worn leather glove. My eyes trailed up the wrist and then the well defined arm it was attached to…a shoulder, a masculine jaw…before I finally found myself gazing with dumb confusion into Cloud Strife's sleepy face only a few inches above my own flabbergasted one. His golden spikes were rumpled adorably against the pillow as he gazed back through half hooded eyes. A small smile twitched crookedly at the corner of his mouth. My heart started pumping hard and fast within my chest. I noticed through the haze of shock that he was wearing nothing but his dark, tattered combats. Oh, and socks.

I gulped audibly.

_What in Leviathan's name…? Is it possible I'm still asleep?_ With my free hand I pinched my thigh and immediately winced. _Ok, that answers that._

_Erk,_ was all I could think now that I knew for sure I was awake.

Much as I desperately wanted to, I didn't have time to ask Cloud what the hell he was doing in my bed; without warning the door slammed open, banging off the wall, and Cid came barging rudely into the room, muttering loudly to himself about unwelcome guests. He was even more rumpled and surly than he'd been the previous evening although he'd taken time at some point to change into a shirt with slightly less engine grease on it.

"Shera's cookin' breakfast now -" He announced abruptly and then cleared his throat awkwardly, clearly unused to politeness. "- do ya…" He stopped slack jawed before the bed, rendered immobile with disbelief at the sight of us both; Cloud half dressed, sleepily dishevelled and suggestively draped across the rumpled covers, clasping my wrist as I lay stiff and dumbstruck on the sheets beside him. Cid's mouth continued to hang open unattractively for what seemed an age, cigarette butt drooping dangerously. There was a long, agonisingly awkward moment where we all just stared at one another blankly.

A moment later all hell broke lose.

"WHAT IN HOLY _HELL?"_ Cid bellowed in scandalised tones, but before Cloud or I could protest our innocence he'd shot from the room so fast he'd have put Joe and Teioh to shame at the Chocobo Races. At the same moment my brain finally decided to catch up with my body and I promptly leapt off the bed with a garbled shout. Unfortunately my legs were still hopelessly tangled in the bed sheet so fell straight onto the scratchy carpeted floor, thumping my head painfully.

"That was a bit stupid." Cloud commented unhelpfully, his dry voice floating over from the bed to where I sagged, my mind reeling in disorientating circles. He seemed to be the only one wholly unaffected by this bizarre situation.

_Truly, his nonchalance knows no bounds._

"Wha…wha…!" I spluttered unintelligibly, scrambling hastily to my feet.

Immediately I latched onto the nearby curtain to keep from falling as a wave of dizziness suddenly washed over me. _Gah, head rush!_ Cloud's face quickly changed from a bemused frown to concern and he began to move across the bed toward me intently, his lean but nicely developed chest looming closer and closer…

"MUSCLES!" I blurted incoherently, shaking my head vigorously whilst holding out a hand urgently between us to keep him at a distance. Leviathan help me! The last thing I wanted to do was take advantage of him whilst he was all Chakra-fied but if he came any closer my resolve might just crumble. "No-no-no-no! Stop! Wha…_what are you __**DOING**__ here anyway_?" I finally managed to demand, clutching the hideous green curtain material to me like a shield.

Cloud flopped back onto the bed with an incredulous sigh, his hands folded neatly on his chest and rolled his eyes. His eyes shifted, diffident, to mine.

"What am _**'I'**_ doing here? '_**I**_' was sleeping here till you came in last night and made yourself at home, latching onto me like a second bed sheet." One blonde brow rose wryly. "A pretty bad smelling one too."

"I…I…shower…bed…last night…_you_!" I gurgled, unable to do more than point a shaking finger at him.

_Oh holy hell… A hazy memory of slits of blue, gleaming Materia bright in the dark… _Cloud's eyes.

Before I could form a reply that bordered on anything near coherent Cid came barrelling back into the room like he'd been launched from the Junon Canon, brandishing his Venus Gospel threateningly in Cloud's direction. It might have looked a bit more menacing if there hadn't been a thick layer of dust on it.

"How could ya? Don't you have any MORALS, seducin' an innoce, _ah_-" He floundered for a moment. "-a little girl?"

Sheeeeesh, but Cid was harping at Cloud like some uptight old granny who'd caught us doing something sordid in a public place. _What is he, a living fossil?_ If there'd been a handbag nearby I felt sure he'd have grabbed it and whacked Cloud over the head with it repeatedly.

"Hey!" I protested, not appreciating being referred to as a 'little girl' one iota. I hadn't failed to notice how he'd dropped the word 'innocent' mid-sentence either."So _this_ is the famous Highwind hospitality you mentioned last night, eh!" I flung at him contemptuously. "For your information I'm nearly eighteen you psycho! And what the hell do ya mean by bargin' in here with that giant knitting needle and tryin' to impale your guests?"

"Just watch me!" Cid declared with heat and leapt dramatically onto the rumpled bed, pointing said 'knitting needle' between Cloud's surprised eyes.

"H-_hey_!" Unsurprisingly, Cloud looked less than enthused at the prospect of being skewered.

"Captain? Your tea is ready." A familiar, tentative voice suddenly floated over from the doorway as Shera shuffled, oblivious, into the room. Her steps faltered when she finally caught sight of us all. "Um. What are you doing…?"

I groaned, burying my face in my hands. _Great, now Shera. I want to WEEP. _

_But then again… maybe she could talk Cid out of turning Cloud into a human kebab? One could but hope…_

"Strife's seduced the brat!" Cid flung back heatedly, furious blue eyes fixed murderously on Cloud's face which was growing more and more irritable by the second. Not a good sign from a guy who owned a sword that looked like a giant steel pillar.

"…Brat?" Shera murmured and bit her lip, clearly bewildered. Her large, worried brown eyes were magnified to ridiculous proportions by her thick glasses as she blinked.

I felt deeply sorry for the woman, wishing she'd turn around, go right back to the kitchen, make lots of nice tea and pretend she hadn't seen any of this madness. Instead, to my despair, Shera scuttled further into the room with hands fluttering anxiously as she eyed her rabid 'Captain'.

"He means me." I groused sourly, releasing the curtain and warily approaching the bed and its two combatants. "Hey gramps, put that stick away would ya? If you feel the need to wave it about at someone then wave it at me, it's _my_ fault!"

I blushed as all three faces suddenly turned to me with varying expressions, the majority of which was plain old bafflement.

"I mean, uh, it was an accident…I wouldn't have slept in here if I'd known Spike was here too!" I blurted, noticing out of the corner of my eye an odd look, puzzlement or annoyance perhaps, flit briefly over Cloud's face. I ignored it and rushed on. "It was dark and I was tired, ok. Biiiig deal. It's not like Cloud can help himself after all-" I clamped my mouth shut quickly, slapping both hands over it for good measure.

Now Cloud, not just Shera and Cid, looked confused too. I groaned into my hands, tugging at handfuls of my hair with frustration. _Shouldn't have said that…gah._ Of course no one would understand what I meant; after all I was the only one who knew the secret of the Chakra Materia which currently lay nestled safely away in the bottom of my rucksack.

I had to get away from them; the sight of their gormless faces was driving me nuts. I took a deep breath and stomped over to grab up my stuff, glaring back at all three of them on my way to the door.

_I SWEAR no one needs this crap first thing in the morning! NO ONE!_

"I'm gonna take a shower now." I informed them all and then pointed meaningfully at Cid. "I'll have to trust you _not_ to use Spike as a human pincushion, old man. When I come back I DO NOT want to see a bloodbath got it?" I didn't wait for an answer, just marched off toward the bathroom, slamming the door to the guestroom behind me so it rattled ominously on its hinges.

"HEY! 33 is _NOT_ old!" Cid's muffled yell followed me out into the hallway where I sagged wearily against the wall and buried my face in my hands, wondering if my life could possibly get any weirder.

* * *

After the surreal episode in the guest bedroom I was looking forward to letting the warm water of a much needed shower wash away my grievances and the unnerving knowledge that I'd slept in a bed with Cloud a whole night without even realising…and weirder; he hadn't seemed at all bothered by it. I shook my head, annoyed by a sudden thought. _Of COURSE he wouldn't have minded… that foul Chakra Materia is still at large. Dammitalltoholyhellgah! Why can't the crappy thing have an OFF button?_

I slammed the bathroom door shut with unnecessary force, dumped my bag unceremoniously on the scratched linoleum floor and then gave the room a quick once over.

Cid's bathroom hardly compared to the one at Costa's villa but it'd do. I'd have bathed in the kitchen sink if it was physically possible and if Shera wouldn't have had somethin' to say about it; I was THAT desperate to get clean. I hadn't showered in over a week and Leviathan knew what crap I'd picked up from being chased all over the countryside from Costa to Rocket Town by annoyingly persistent ninjas_._

I moved toward the little chrome sink and squared my shoulders, finally working up the courage to shut the little battered bathroom cabinet door and face my reflection. I wondered what the damage was; it'd been a hellish few weeks. My face drooped when the little door swung shut. My filthy, mud-splattered face gazed back at me resentfully, my hair falling about it in dark, unappealing snarls.

"HOLY _HELL_. Ugh…" I needed that shower _pronto_.

I hopped over to where the ancient brass shower head loomed over the cramped bathtub, letting out a hiss of pain as I stepped on what looked suspiciously like a pair of nostril hair tweezers. I pointedly made no further investigation. _Cid's? …ugh. Knowledge I could definitely have lived happily ever after WITHOUT. _I grabbed a hold of the shower curtain to tug it back. It was a great green flappy sheet that was ugly as hell and-

I yelped with surprise as the door suddenly burst inward to admit a frantic looking Cloud, considerably more dressed than when I'd last seen him but definitely more aggravated. His wide eyes immediately fixed urgently on where I crouched, startled, with shower curtain clenched tightly in both fists.

"They're HERE!" He barked out and without further explanation scooped both myself and my rucksack up and flung me bodily over one shoulder. I squawked a wordless protest as he knocked the opaque bathroom window open roughly with his free arm. I forgot to let go of the sheet, confused and stunned as I was. So when Cloud clambered inelegantly out of the window, with me as his human luggage, the shower curtain came with us with a great rip and crash as its metal frame toppled over and into the tub.

_WHAT the HELL is going ON?_ I felt an overpowering surge of déjà vu. It had to be the weirdest morning I'd ever experienced. _Yes, including that one time with the whisky and the nest…_

"Put me DOWN!" I hollered, the shower curtain flapping out ridiculously behind us. Cloud ignored me and if anything sped up.

I had a slightly skewed, upside down view of our destination if I peered around Cloud's side; he was sprinting urgently across Cid's weed infested back yard toward where the restored Tiny Bronco was parked, newly customized and gleaming in the morning sunshine.

_Oh no way! He can't seriously…I'll puke my guts out!_ My stomach gurgled unpromisingly, as though concurring with that thought.

I hadn't been on an airship in over a year and my final experience with the Highwind had been less than savoury - as Cid had so kindly reminded me last night. My dim memories of the Tiny Bronco were even worse…days where I'd hung my head over the side almost constantly as the little plane skimmed and juddered its way clumsily over the undulating surface of the sea.

As if sensing my thoughts Cloud's grip tightened on me and when he swung me up into the plane he arranged us so that I ended up strewn untidily across his lap in the pilot seat. _So I can't escape_, I thought sourly as I clung to one side of the Tiny Bronco and watched him flounder away at the controls. I peeped out over one of his shoulders toward the house, eyes widening with alarm when I spotted the large group of black clad men spilling out of the back door and rushing toward us in a dark, furious wave of ninja. I watched, barely remembering to breathe, as they hopped nimbly over the minefield of neglected plane parts and surged undeterred on toward us. Even more startlingly, Cid was at front of them; his face contorted with fury and desperation.

"Don't you DARE!" He yelled, brandishing the Venus Gospel violently over his head. "I'm NOT lettin' you steal my baby AGAIN!"

He was too late however; Cloud had finally deciphered the controls and the little plane had already begun to putter across the field, gathering speed as it went, buffeted by the wind. A moment later we vaulted jerkily off the ground and into the air with a precarious wobble that yanked my stomach unceremoniously into my throat. As the tiny Bronco soared skyward Cloud and I cast glazed gazes at the open air all around us, down at the dwindling black shapes converging in a furious crowd directly below in Cid's backyard and then, finally, at one another. Simultaneously, we sagged with relief.

We were airborne and _safe_.

A strong gust of wind suddenly blasted us and Cid's ugly green shower curtain was torn free from my clutch. I watched it's decent with morbid fascination that quickly turned to wary amusement as it hit Cid square in the face a ways below us. He tripped and rolled down the little hill wrapped up hopelessly in the sheet, spewing expletives, and succeeded in tripping up quite a few of the ninjas who'd been pursuing a few steps behind him. Distantly I spotted Shera wandering out the back door into the yard, frying pan in hand and taking in the scene with unnerving calm. I could just imagine her politely asking the assorted rabble if _'-anyone would like some tea?'_.

"Will you sit down? Your knee's digging into my thigh..." Cloud's nerves sounded a little frayed as the ship performed yet another precarious wobble that played havoc with my insides.

I scrambled to obey, soon realising there wasn't nearly enough space to make sharing the cockpit an easy business. It was a tight squeeze but I managed to settle myself in Cloud's lap, leaning back against his chest with the top of my head tucked uncomfortably under his chin. _Oh boy…_ My stomach gave a telltale lurch as I fidgeted against him, gazing out from between his arms to the vast ocean that drew ever nearer as we glided ever closer to the western coast.

My eyes slowly widened with horror as I realised in what direction we were clearly headed. I clutched at Cloud's forearms, too stunned to speak.

We were on a direct course for Wutai.

* * *

**A/N:** EWO is on hiatus. I am considering a rewrite/continuation in future but for now I need to concentrate on RL. Thanks for all your support/reviews, I really appreciate you taking time to read and review my story. ~ R


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